Remember to Forget
by InterruptedProgress
Summary: “So that’s it?” His voice was hard. Desperate. “You’re just going to leave?” I turned my head, catching sight of him from the corner of my eye. “That’s it.” ExB.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer- I do not own Twilight or it's characters, I am only borrowing them. **

**Prologue**

Four Weeks. That's how long it's been since I last saw Edward. That's how long it's been since I had felt alive. I sighed as I unlocked my truck and stepped inside. I would not cry anymore, I told myself, although I knew it was a lie. I pulled on my seatbelt and started the truck, and jumped as the engine roared, somehow I could never get used to that. Jessica and Angela had ambushed me at school today, and forced me to agree to coming out with them tonight. A movie, nothing special, but they insisted on it, and I did not have the energy to argue with Jessica's annoying persistence.

I drove even slower than usual as the roads were icy and I had no desire to get into an accident, not that I cared if I died, at this point it didn't matter. My thoughts wandered as I stared absently at the road in front of me. I wondered about what _he _was doing, and then I quickly scolded myself for it. I had to get over him and move on. My head told me it was the sensible thing to do, but my heart cried out against it. I shook my head and tried to banish all thoughts of him.

Out of nowhere two cars came speeding down the road in front of me and two things happened in that moment. The first was that my car swerved, sending it sliding across the ice and into a tree. The second was that my seatbelt came unhitched and sent me through the windshield.

My head was bleeding, and I was fading fast. But just as I was to close my eyes, I saw seven pairs of glowing eyes.

Then… fire.

**A/N: What do you think? Should I continue writing it? R&R please!**


	2. Chapter One

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter **

**Chapter 1**

My body was burning! I was on fire and I could not get the pain to stop! I screamed out in horror but nothing helped me… nothing could stop the agony I was in. For what seemed an eternity to me, I was under constant attack. It felt like I was being burned from the inside out. Never once did the pain subside and I felt sure I was in Hell. Through my pain I could always sense someone nearby, and occasionally I could hear the hushed conversations, although I could not make out the words. But I did not care. All I wanted was for the pain to stop! I could feel my heart constricting and my pulse leaving. I was dying if I was not already dead.

Suddenly the pain stopped, and I was standing in a meadow- wait not _a_ meadow, _the _meadow. But I was not alone, there lying in the sun with a grin on his face was Edward. My heart thudded in my chest, and I knew he could hear it. He stood up and walked towards me. He was so beautiful that I was sure I could not breathe; he reached out for my hand and pulled me into his embrace. I could feel his lips as they moved across my neck and finally meeting mine. My heart soared and I reacted instinctively. My arms went around his neck and my hands began to move through his hair. He froze and than hastily pushed me away. Shock ran through my body and I reached my hand to place it on his arm but he jerked away. After a few moments he turned to me, his face was impassive and he looked at me with hate in his eyes.

"Edward?" I asked uncertainly. Why was he acting like this?

"Leave me alone Bella! I have told you before, I don't love you!"

Then he was gone. Disappearing once again from my life, never to return. I cried out his name, but he did not come back. The tears were flowing freely down my face, but suddenly the burning sensation returned and I fell to the ground writhing in pain.


	3. Chapter Two

** A/N: Sorry for the confusion, the last chapter was a nightmare of Bella's while she was changing. Okay, now that that's cleared up, Chapter Two... **

**Chapter Two**

The pain had been burning, a perpetual fire that just would not go away, but I could feel it dulling, as if everything were finally coming to an end. I felt my strength returning, and finally… it stopped. I waited to make sure that it would not come again, before I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings.

I was lying in a bed, inside a large room that I had never seen before. The walls were of a paneled wood, with a few posters of Rocks bands that I had never heard of before plastered against them. There were some large beanbag chairs in one corner with a bookshelf nearby that. On the other side of the room there was a large stereo with C.D.'s piled haphazardly around the floor and throughout the room.

Where was I?

I could hear yelling coming from outside the room, and after telling myself that I would find no answers in here, I got up from the bed and moved out of the room. I entered a long hallway; there were doors along each side of the wall. I made my way through to where I heard the yelling, only to find another hallway. I maneuvered my way through what seemed like a maze to me, and finally found a staircase that led down to where the shouting became even louder. When I made it to the bottom I marveled at myself for making it without tripping, before turning my attention to where all of the noise was coming from.

Sitting before me were seven men- no vampires, yelling at a plasma screen TV! They were watching a football game and did not notice my entrance until one of them with shaggy blonde hair happened to glance my way.

"Hey! Your up!" he cried, causing his friends to tear their attention from the game as well.

"It's about time!" another one laughed.

"We were worried that you weren't going to make it there for a while." The shaggy blonde said shaking his head at me.

Suddenly I remembered! I had been in an accident, my head had crashed through the windshield, but then how did I survive?

Taking in my confused expression, he answered my unasked question. "Oh! Of course you wouldn't know." His smile faltered.

"Know what?" I asked, not quite understanding the expressions of those around me.

"What happened to you." Another one answered.

My brow furrowed. "What happened to me?" I repeated absently.

"Do you know-" One with jet-black hair paused. "What we are?"

Realization dawned on me but all I could say was "Oh." But inside I was not so calm. I was a _vampire. __**I**_ was a vampire! "Why?"

"We couldn't very well just let you die! It was our own fault that you were hurt at all."

There was an awkward silence as they allowed it to sink in. Finally another vampire spoke up. "Well, what's done is done. Now when do we hunt?" he asked excitedly. The shaggy blonde elbowed him. "Ow! What was that for? She has to eat!" The blonde just shook his head and sighed.

"Forgive my brother, he sometimes is insensitive." I just shook my head, still trying to absorb this new information.

"What's your name?" he asked me.

"B-Bella Swan." I stammered.

"Well Bella, I'm Matthew, and these are my brothers- Ethan, Daniel, Anthony, Christopher, Michael, and Joshua."

With each name said, they all gave me a big smile, and I could not help but return it. Anthony, the one who had desired to hunt, came up and gave a hug that could have crushed me if I was human. "It will be good to finally have a sister!"

"Anthony, we don't want to force her." Matthew reprimanded, I could tell that he was the leader of the coven. Anthony immediately pulled back from me to look me in the eye.

"You will stay won't you?"

I looked at all of their faces; they _looked_ as if they wanted me to stay, besides where else was I to go? "If you want me to." I smiled and this caused them all to grin.

"Now," Anthony began again. "How about that hunting?"

"Hunting!?" I cried in horror.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

"Hunt!?" I cried in horror.

"Yeah Bella, you know chase, stalk, pursue, hound, follow, track-" Anthony began listing and I could feel myself becoming paler with each new word he uttered.

"Anthony!" They all cried.

"What?" he asked before catching my expression. "Oh. Sorry Bella."

"Its ok." I mumbled. There was a silence for a few moments, all eyes were turned to me and I was sure that if I was still human that I would be blushing from head to toe.

Michael was the first to break the silence. "Would you like to stay home tonight?"

"If its no trouble…"

"Not at all! Daniel," Matthew said turning to his brother. "Will you show Bella to her room?"

"No problem!" he smiled. "Follow me Bella."

Daniel led me up the stairs and down the hallway before we stopped at one of the many doors. He opened it for me and then stepped back to allow me entrance. The room had the same wood paneling that the other did, but there instead of rock posters there were posters of boy bands, such as NSYNC and the Backstreet boys. Bands that I hadn't even listened to since I was eight or nine. There was a large pink fluffy rug that covered the hardwood floor, with issues of Seventeen Magazine spread out on top. In the corner was a table with a fluffy pink phone- no doubt meant to match the carpet and a chair near that. Besides that there was a white leather couch and a small stereo, and a large mirror hanging on the wall. As I took in my surroundings, I was hard pressed not to start laughing hysterically.

"Do you like it?" Daniel asked unsure of my reaction.

His voice broke the camels back and I could not but break down in laughter. He stood there in a daze, confused by my reaction. After I had collected myself enough to talk I burst out with, "Where did you get all of this?" I turned to face Daniel, and was surprised to find all of my brothers watching me curiously.

"Well, after we had bitten you and while you were changing, we thought- we hoped that you would want to stay." Ethan said staring at his shoes.

"Yes?" I prompted while staring at Justin Timberlake's face on the NSYNC poster.

"And you would need a room, so we went out and bought you some things to furnish it."

This drew my attention from the boy band posters and I turned to look at my new brothers. They all looked so uncertain, and as over the top their attempt was, it was endearing and it touched me. I ran over and gave each one of them a kiss on the cheek.

"So you like it?"

"No." I stated carefully. "It's not my taste. Personally I hate pink, and when I was little I wanted to strangle the Backstreet Boys. But it's the thought that counts."

There was another silence and I was worried that I had offended them when Anthony burst out with, "Thank God!" and caused us all to laugh.

"But it will be alright for now." I gave them a dazzling vampire smile before continuing. "Now, out of my room and go hunting!" I pushed them all out before closing the door on them. I turned back around, looked at the posters and rolled my eyes before laughing. I walked over to take them down, but my reflection in the mirror caught my eye.

I let out a small gasp as I took in my image. My skin was paler than usual, and my eyes were no longer a rich brown, but a dark red. My lips were fuller, my teeth were whiter, and my hair was beautiful- _I_ was beautiful. I took in the rest of my body, and was surprised to see a fuller chest and I was somewhat taller, but only slightly so. But what startled me most were my eyes; nothing at all like the topaz that I had come to expect from the Cullen's, but a deep blood red. I was startled by the sounds of crashing from downstairs, and then the sounds of my brothers laughing before yelling "Bye Bella!" and then the door slamming. I just rolled my eyes, I was here, and I was home.


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N: I am really really really sorry for the delay! I had finals and then Christmas and not to mention I was stuck, I hope this chapter is good, but I need feedback so R&R please!****  
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**Chapter Four-**

_Three Months Later_

It had been three months since I had joined the Carin coven. I had really grown to love my brothers. They were all idiots of course, but I loved them. Matthew was the leader and the diplomat although he was mostly just the figurehead. I had them all wrapped around my finger; I was there little sister. But I had a backbone and they all learned the hard way that behind my innocent exterior I had a mean bark and a worse bite. Matthew was the oldest physically and literally. Physically he is nineteen, but his real age is around two hundred and thirty years old.

Joshua was the exact opposite of me as a human. I had been a danger magnet, while he is like a walking good luck charm. It doesn't quite make sense because he has no idea why that is, but it is beneficial to us all. He was changed at nineteen as well, but he is roughly one hundred years younger than Matthew. He is more carefree than the rest of us, besides Anthony of course, but I just assume it's a side effect of his power. Who wouldn't be like that after over one hundred years without bad luck? Sometimes I envy him.

Anthony is like those big brothers that you see portrayed in sitcoms. He was strong- scary strong, but like a giant teddy bear. He reminded me of- but I won't think about them. I can't. Sometimes I wonder if he really is one hundred and seven. He often acts more like a two-year old trapped in an eighteen year olds body.

Christopher is a bit darker than the rest of us. I might think of the word cynical, but he was never morbid or worrisome. I would describe him as being wary of others, as though he mistrusts their motives. Although after he warms up to you, he is fiercely protective and once you get past the angst, he can be witty and charming. He had the ability to control fire, which I found ironic. He was changed at seventeen, but in reality he was around seventy-six years old.

Michael was more intellectual than the others and I was able to talk to him on a more philosophical level. He shared my enjoyment of reading and we have spent hours discussing the books we have read. He was changed at eighteen as well, but he was the closest in age to Matthew being one hundred and ninety years old. He had the power of mind control, which was useful if not scary at times.

Daniel was changed at seventeen, although he is really around fifty-two years old. We looked almost shockingly alike, and our brothers tended to tease us about being twins, it was annoying at first, but we had gotten used to it. I was closest to him out of all my brothers; he was the easiest to talk to. Being an empath he had the ability to put me instantly at ease, which made me the most open with him.

My youngest brother was Ethan. He was turned at fifteen and was the newest to the coven besides myself, joining only three years before me. He was my age literally if not physically. He had the power to go into memories, and I was grateful for the fact that he was unable to do that with me.

I was grateful for my powers with so many vampires that had the power to delve into my past about. My first power was invisibility, which I can only assume came from the many occasions that I had been embarrassed and wished I could disappear and the second one I had retained from my human life but it changed so that I was able to block out any power I wanted to. This comes in handy with an empath and a memory reader in the house. I did _not_ want to tell my brothers about my past with the Cullens, and it would be avoided at all costs. It was not as if I would see them again anyways. _He_ had made that clear to me.

My brothers knew that there was something from my human life that bothered me, but they never pressed for any information, and I loved them even more for that. The first few months were difficult as we were still becoming used to each other. We had only had one major disagreement and that occurred when they had decided to take me out for my first hunt. My brothers, unlike the Cullens, were not vegetarians, but I refused to take up their habits. They were confused, but they respect my decision. My brothers are idiots, but they are my idiots.

I was lying on the couch with my feet curled under me while rereading Wuthering Heights, when I heard my brother come bounding in.

"Hey Bells!" Anthony said as he hopped over the couch and landed next to me. I looked up from my book and gave him a smile.

"We are all going out hunting tonight," my smile fell and I pursed my lips into a thin line before turning back to my book.

"Aw don't be like that Bells." He poked me in the side but I just ignored him focusing on the book in front of me. He continued poking me in the side. I knew he was trying to get me to cave, but I never would on this point.

Snapping my book shut, I left the room, passing my brothers in the hall. Michael opened his mouth to say something to me but I just held up my hand to his face and walked by. I could hear them all pepper Anthony with questions.

"I only asked her about hunting and…" Matthew interrupted him.

"You idiot!" I heard Matthew yell before a loud smack. I stifled a giggle, before turning to my room.

I waited on my couch for one of my brothers to come up and do damage control, which was inevitable. Not a moment later I heard a knock at the door and someone say, "Bella? Can I come in?"

Ah, Daniel. Smart move.

"Sure." I answered indifferently. I continued reading my book when he entered the room and didn't even look up when he came to sit down next to me. There was silence for a few minutes before he started.

"Wow. I think I understand why you hate this room so much." I glanced up at his face not expecting this comment and tried not to smile when he scrunched up his face in disgust. "It's to pink!"

I had to smile at that but I replied just as seriously. "I have made improvements you know?" I gestured to the walls. "No more creepy boy band posters."

"I don't quite understand what Anthony was thinking when he picked those out." He said shaking his head.

"Daniel?" I asked returning my attention to my book. He must have sensed the change because he became instantly wary.

"Yes Bella?"

"Why are you in here?" I turned the page of my book and continued reading.

"Bella please, Anthony is an idiot, you know that." I didn't reply. "We know that you don't drink from humans, but we are all curious as to where you ever got the idea of drinking from animals?" I flinched as pain swept over my body. I didn't need to remember; I didn't want to remember! I glanced over at Daniel who looked like he was in physical pain. He was the only one who I didn't block, but I assume at this moment he wished that I did. He sent waves of calm my way, but it didn't help any and soon he had to leave because of my emotions.

I could hear them all discussing me downstairs, but I tuned them out. The pain was still there, it hadn't left me after these months. I remembered last memory of _him _and almost crumpled to the floor; I had been repressing all these feelings, hoping it would make them disappear, but they hadn't and I was in denial thinking that they had. He had told me he didn't love me- that he didn't want me. I had been some fling for him! I knew that I was never good enough for him, but when he told me that I would be able to move on! Like Hell I would forget him! He had been my everything and it meant nothing to him and as much as it hurt, I could understand, but telling me that it would be as if he never existed? I had never thought him to be stupid but-

"Bella? Can we come in?" Matthew's voice interrupted my thoughts. Before I could even croak out an answer the door swung open and revealed my seven brothers. I couldn't tell what must have been going through their heads at that moment when they saw me. I was huddled into a ball and dry sobbing on the couch. Daniel looked horrible, but to my surprise he didn't leave and he was the first one to approach me although it almost looked painful for him with each step he took. Once he made it over to me he pulled me into his embrace and I sobbed into his arms as he sent calming waves through me.

I heard him let out a sigh of relief as the pain began to dull. After I had sufficiently calmed there was a pregnant silence that I had no intention of breaking. Of course it was Anthony who broke it.

"That's the last time that I mention hunting to you." The awkwardness of the situation vanished and we all chuckled. But I knew I wasn't off the hook and that I had some explaining to do.

"Bella, what happened?" Ethan asked me. Everyone quieted down and focused their attention on me. Did I want them to know? Was I ready to relive all my memories? If I reacted the way I just did when I just _thought_ about him, what would happen if I had to watch my brother project them for everyone- including me- to see? I shook my head.

"I-It's nothing." I started but at their incredulous looks I continued. "I can't tell you- at least not at the moment. I'm not ready. You just saw my reaction to _remembering_ and I don't think I could handle speaking about it. I will tell you- eventually, but can you just give me time?"

They all looked like they wanted to say something but though better of it and I took the opportunity to get away. I jumped up from my seat on the couch startling them and began to push them out the door. "Now- out with all of you and go hunting." They seemed reluctant to leave me alone- I guess they were fearing another breakdown but I ignored them and continued to push them until they were near the stairs.

"Okay, Okay! We are going Bella." Joshua laughed and I breathed a sigh of relief once they were out of the house.

Moving slowly up the stairs I went into back into my room and settled back onto the couch, refusing to remember and hoping to forget. I opened up my book and resumed my reading. I sat there for about ten minutes before I heard a blood-curdling scream. I jumped up from my seat and raced out of the house.

**A/N: Okay I know that wasn't the best, but I needed this chapter to explain the brothers and before you ask, the Cullens will be making their appearance soon.**


	6. Chapter Five

**A/N: You guys were just so awesome with the reviews that I decided to update again today! **

**Thank you****TwilightFan2010 for pointing out that I forgot to mention where they are. They are currently in Astoria, Oregon, which is one of the rainiest cities in the U.S.**

**Chapter Five-**

I raced out of my house and followed the screaming. It wrenched at my heart and I only prayed that I wasn't too late because I had a pretty good idea on who was causing it. I ran down the street and two blocks down I saw my brothers surrounding a small girl who was cowering as they encircled her. The next moment I was in front of her and snarling at my brothers who were poised for an attack. My posture was low and I was expecting the onslaught of their claws against my body, but no way was I going to let them get to this girl! I kept eye contact with them as I bared my teeth. Christopher began to approach but before he could get close I snapped at his hand. He recoiled and I missed but just barely. Anthony then lunged at me but I dodged him and then retook my position in front of the girl. They began to growl at me but I let out a roar that sent them backing away from me. Matthew seemed to come to his senses first and his posture relaxed as recognition flashed through his eyes. He called off my brothers but they were still crouched low as if preparing to attack any moment.

I broke eye contact with them when I felt something clasping my leg hard. I looked down to see a mess of blonde curls and a shaking figure holding onto me for dear life. I bent down to pick her up and she threw her arms around my neck and began to cry. My eyes were black with fury, as one by one the rest of my brothers seemed to snap back into reality, although they looked angry I was enraged and they kept their distance.

"What the Hell did you think you were doing?" I hissed.

"Hunting Bella! You know that!" Michael snapped making me angrier.

"She's just a child!" I yelled but their looks held little remorse. I was almost shaking with rage as the little girl sobbed uncontrollably in my arms. I glared at my brothers telling them to keep their distance as I moved to sit against the wall and rocked her gently. I gently rubbed her back and tried to soothe her while shooting daggers at my brothers. Once she was sufficiently calmed she loosened her grip on my neck and pulled away to look at my face. Her blue eyes were staring back at my topaz eyes and her brows furrowed as if deep in thought.

"What's wrong?" I asked although it was one of the stupidest questions I could have asked. I was pretty sure I knew what was wrong.

"I thought angels had wings?" I was a little shocked by her statement but then gave her a smile.

"I'm no angel sweetie." But she just shook her head stubbornly and I let out a small laugh. "What's your name?"

"Jamie." She said shyly.

"That's a very pretty name Jamie, I'm Bella." I held out my hand and she took it eagerly. I moved to stand up and walked towards by brothers but Jamie wouldn't let go of my hand. She grasped it tightly and looked at me through her blue eyes.

"Don't leave me!" she begged. I gave her a reassuring smile before turning back towards my brothers and the look I gave them made them flinch.

I walked over to them with Jamie refusing to let go of my hand and stopped just in front of Matthew. I was at least a good foot shorter then them but I glared up at him as he did the same with me. We stood there for a few moments each on of us willing the other to look away and at length he did. He let out a sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair while I continued to watch him in disgust.

"Bella, I-" I held up my free hand and he stopped speaking.

"How on earth could you attack an innocent child?" My voice was deadly calm and none of them answered. "Do you even know anything about her? She is somebody's _child_. She has a mother and a father who are probably worried sick about her right now. She is someone's little sister or big sister. She has a family." I kept my voice low but the anger and revulsion could be heard with each new sentence I uttered. I broke my eye contact with them and pick up Jamie so that she was facing them. They all looked down so that they couldn't see her face.

"Look up you cowards!" I barked and they reluctantly raised their eyes so that they were staring their would be dinner in the face- in her blue eyes that were filled with innocence and fear. "You almost killed her!" I hissed and they visibly flinched but couldn't tear their eyes away from the little girl in my arms. "Does that make you feel good about yourselves? You attacked her and you attacked me!" I could see the pain in their eyes but I wasn't quite done. "What if this had been _your_ sister or _your_ daughter?" I let the question sink in. I shook my head and let out a sigh. "You all do this on a regular basis. You tears apart families with each person that you kill and you destroy lives." My voice remained fiercely calm throughout my speech. I turned my gaze back to Jamie and my expression softened.

"Sweetie do you know where you live?" She nodded her head. I turned back to my brothers and my voice was cold. "I'm going to take Jamie back home and so help me if you harm her you will wish that you could die." It wasn't just a threat; it was a promise. I began to walk away when Daniel opened his mouth to speak.

"Bella-" he began and I stopped with my back to them. I refused to look at the monsters that I had for brothers.

"No." My voice was cold and distant.

I felt their gazes boring into my back as I walked away with Jamie in my arms. Once I was around the corner and out of sight I turned back to the little girl in my arms. She was looking at me curiously and I gave her a small smile that she returned with a grin.

"Are you okay?" I asked her wanting to make sure that those idiots hadn't hurt her.

"I'm fine but they were scary." She paused as a frown crossed her face, which quickly brightened when she added, "But you chased them away! They were scared of you Bella!" she squealed in delight and I let out a small laugh.

"Can you tell me where you live, Jamie?" She recited her address for me with little difficulty. I found that we weren't very far from her house and we arrived there in a matter of minutes. Parked outside her home was a police car and I silently cursed my brothers once again for putting this girl in danger.

We walked up to the door and knocked on the door when not a few seconds later in was wrenched open by a worried parent. She saw Jamie in my arms and cried in relief. "Jamie!"

Jamie wiggled out of my arms and ran up to her mother who was now sobbing. "Mama!" they held onto each other so tightly and her mother looked almost afraid to let go in fear that her daughter would disappear again. Two men appeared in the doorway next. The first one looked close to tears as well and joined the two in their embrace so I assumed that he was Jamie's father. The other man was in a police uniform and he smiled at the scene before him but then turned to me with a calculating gaze.

Once they had calmed down her mother pulled away from her daughter to look her in the face, "Don't you ever scare me like that again. What happened to you Jamie?"

"Mama that angel saved me! There were a bunch of men that were scaring me and Bella came and scared _them_!" she answered excitedly. Her mother looked horrified that her daughter was in any danger and her father turned to me with grateful eyes.

"Thank you so much for bringing her home safely! I don't know what we would have done without you." He was shaking his head as if trying to get rid of a horrible idea. I was uncomfortable under the policeman's gaze, which hadn't faltered since my presence had been made known.

As if suddenly realizing that I was there the woman stood up and ran to me. She pulled me into a hug before kissing my cheeks. "You really are an angel!" She let go of me and took my hands in hers. "I don't know how much to thank you!" she suddenly looked cold and I realized that she must have noticed how cool my skin was.

"Dear you are freezing! Come on inside the house while I get you something to warm you up." I was reluctantly pulled into the house and led into a cozy living room. She set me down on the couch and Jamie jumped up and scrambled onto my lap. I smiled softly at her before the policeman cleared his throat. I looked up at him and he began to speak.

"Now tell us again how you found Jamie?" he asked me as he took out a notepad. Oh no! He wanted a statement. I had to think quickly; thank God I had become better at lying.

"I was walking down the street when I heard a scream, I ran to see what was making the noise and I saw some teenagers picking on poor Jamie. I yelled at them and told them to leave her alone and eventually I got them to leave." Not a total lie.

"Could you describe the boys that you saw?" he asked while scribbling my story on the paper.

"No" I said a little to quickly and he stopped to raise his brow at me. "It was dark outside and I couldn't make out their faces." I amended. He wrote this down and thankfully Jamie's mother walked in while her father was on the phone, probably telling the neighbors that she was found.

"Here you are dear." She said handing me a cup of hot chocolate. I inwardly gagged as she watched me expectantly. I took a small sip and made an involuntary face.

"Too hot?" she asked worried. I smiled and nodded. Setting down the cup the cop turned to Jamie' s mom.

"Mrs. Morgan I think that I am done here. I congratulate you on finding your daughter." He glanced quickly at me and then down at Jamie who was smiling happily in my arms. "Good day to you." He nodded to us both and then left. I let out a sigh of relief.

"I think I should be going as well." I stood up and lift Jamie off my lap before turning to Mrs. Morgan.

"I don't know how to thank you again Bella." I smiled at her sincere thanks and moved to leave when I felt a pull on my hand. I looked down to see Jamie with a confused expression on her face.

"Where are you going?" I bent down so that I was at eyelevel with her.

"Sweetie I have to go home." And kill my brothers I added in my head.

"But you promised you wouldn't leave me!" her voice became distressed and her eyes began to water. I looked up at her mom who looked confused as well.

"I have to leave Jamie, you are safe now." It broke my dead heart to see her sad, but I had to leave.

She shook her head so that her blonde curls were bouncing. "No. Stay." She pleaded with her eyes. I bent down and kissed her forehead.

"I will visit you, I promise." She grinned and held out her pinky to me.

"You pinky swear?" She said it so seriously that my face took on a mock gravity.

"Pinky Swear." I took her pinky in mine and we shook on it. Her mother looked amused and quietly shook her head. I said my goodbyes before setting off towards my home.

My brothers were so dead.


	7. Chapter Six

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, but this chapter was unbelievably hard to write- mostly because it was a filler chapter. I don't really like it but it was necessary. R&R Please!****  
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**Chapter Six-**

As I raced back to my house I used the few moments that I had to calm myself and go over my plan only to come to the conclusion that I could not truly kill my brothers. If not for the fact that they were already dead, I was outnumbered seven to one and no matter how strong I was nor how afraid they were, I could _not_ take them all at once. So I had come up with a more logical and rational idea… I would kill their stuff.

The house was dark when I entered; they weren't home and unconsciously giving me the time that I needed to carry out my plan. Glancing around the living room my eyes came to rest on their precious wall mounted plasma screen TV. I was beside it in a moment and after gently running my fingers down the smooth surface I smashed my fist through the center. Glass fell to the floor and there were some sparks that flew. I darted up the stairs before tearing through each of my brothers' rooms. I clawed their couches and shredded their posters. T looked as if a hurricane had torn through there. Pleased with my work I decided to relax in my room until they came home. I settled onto the couch in my room and opened one of my books.

About an hour later I heard a knock at the door. We never had visitors so I was down the stairs in a flash and opened the door to reveal the policeman from earlier. The shock must have registered on my face because he gave his apologies for disturbing me but asked if he might have a moment of my time. I thought about inviting him inside but decided against it when I remembered the broken TV in the living room and stepped out on the porch.

"Is there a problem sir?" I asked in my most innocent voice.

"No, no none at all. I was just wondering if you might answer some questions for me." His tone was formal but I thought I could hear some desperation behind it. I shook my head of the thought and gave my consent.

"There had been a Missing Persons report filed for an eighteen year old girl. She disappeared a few months back. Her name was Isabella Swan." He stated. If possible, my face became paler. It suddenly became harder to swallow and I felt dizzy. Oblivious to my discomfort the officer continued.

"The man who filed it was the Police Chief of the Forks Police Force. A man named Charlie Swan." He looked up at me to see if I was following and I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. "He was her father and when she didn't come home after an evening out. They found her truck crashed off the side of the road, but the body wasn't found. He had been searching for her ever since." His tone became desperate as he continued with the report. "Recently he and his ex wife have given up the search, but I know Charlie and this has been tearing him apart, he still thinks his daughter is out there but-" I had to stop him from continuing before I broke into sobs.

"Sir," I spoke lowly so that he could not hear the emotion in my voice. "What has this got to do with me?"

"Oh!" his voice croaked. "It's just you look so much like the picture that he had sent out. I was hoping that you might…" He trailed off not trusting himself to finish.

"You thought that I might be Isabella?" I whispered and he nodded his head. "I'm sorry sir. But, I-I'm not who you are looking for."

He nodded his head and began to walk away. "I am sorry for disturbing you Miss." He walked slowly back to his cruiser and I watched as he drove off and turned the corner before collapsing to my knees.

_Charlie_.

I hadn't thought how my disappearance might affect him. I was all that he had and now he was alone. Who would be there to take care of him? I never thought of how he had been these months, I had refused to remember- and now. I was selfish! For the past three months I had only been thinking about myself. Never once had I thought about what this must have done to my parents- Renee had Phil but Charlie had… no one.

The pain that I had been hiding from all these months hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't know how long I sat there sobbing on the porch with no tears to shed. I stared off into the darkness not focusing on anything when my mind came to a decision.

I had to see him. If only to make sure he was ok.

I stood up from my position on the porch and I ran. I ran all night with one destination in mind. Forks. My own personal Hell. The place where I had met my angel, the place where I had fallen in love, the place where I had met my best friend, and the place where I had lost everything. I knew that there was nothing left for me there, but I just had to check on Charlie. If only to see for myself that he was still alive. I stopped only once in the night to hunt, just to be safe, and the sun was low in the sky when the forest around me grew familiar. Soon I was traveling along the trail that led to the edge of the woods that surrounded the house. I stood waiting and watching from my hiding place among the trees. I didn't have to wait long before a familiar figure emerged from the house. My heart lurched when I saw Charlie lock up the house and slowly walk to his cruiser. He was dressed nicer than usual, wearing black slacks and a white dress shirt. His hair looked as if he had actually combed it but something in his expression held my attention. He had dark circles under his eyes that hinted at little sleep and he looked close to breaking. I felt guilt well up inside of me and I couldn't help but release a sob.

Using my invisibility I followed him to a clearing outside of the church. Confused, I watched as he exited the car and walked to an area with chairs spread out and a podium towards the front. There was a man whom I can only assume to be the priest and Charlie approached him and shook hands. The priest asked him how he was holding up and Charlie just shook his head before a few tears escaped his eyes. Then it hit me.

This was my funeral.

I was too stunned to move so I just stood there and watched as cars began to pull up and people I recognized from my human life exited the cars and began to take their seats. As more people began to arrive I moved off towards the edge of the forest, close enough so that I could listen, but far enough away so that if I ended up sobbing I couldn't be heard. Out of sight I lowered my invisibility and watched my funeral commence from a distance.

I listened as the minister spoke about how my death was a loss and that I would be dearly missed, but that I would want everyone to be happy, and that was true if only Charlie could move on. There were some people shedding tears and I could even see Jacob and Billy sitting by Charlie and comforting him as best they could. I tuned out the minister and watched as Charlie choked back tears. If possible, my dead heart was being broken once more. I couldn't handle seeing Charlie like that and although I knew it was cowardly I had to get out of there or risk running up to him and telling him that I was alive- sort of. But I couldn't do that without giving him and everyone else a heart attack and risk exposing myself. A slight breeze blew past me blowing a few strands of my hair in my face.

"Goodbye Charlie." I whispered softly, knowing that he could not hear me. I turned away from my funeral and turning invisible, I made my way back home.

I was too distracted to notice seven vampires whip their heads in my direction.


	8. Chapter Seven

**A/n: Sorry for the delay but its up! Thank you for all the reviews, you guys are totally awesome! The Cullens make their big appearance within the next few chapters. I hope you enjoy the chapter it isn't the best but it was necessary. R&R Please!  
**

**Chapter Seven-**

After I had said my goodbye to Charlie, I traveled around the forests in the Washington area. I hadn't been ready to go home just yet. The shock of seeing my own funeral and the look of pain on Charlie's face had been something I was unprepared for. However a week after my funeral I began to miss my brothers. I wasn't sure how they would feel about me, especially once they discovered what I had done to their rooms- not that they didn't deserve it after what they had almost done to poor Jamie. Besides even if I was angry with them, they were probably worried about me.

As I approached the house I could see the lights shining from the living room. I probably looked like crap seeing as how I hadn't showered since I had last been home; not that I needed to but I had blood stains on my clothes and my hair was in serious need of a brush.

The house was surprisingly quiet considering there were seven male teenage vampires inside and I became anxious; cautiously I opened the door.

My brothers had all been scattered around the room. Some had their heads resting on their hands, two were just staring off into space, and in the middle of the room Matthew was pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. If it weren't for the pained expressions on their faces it would have been comical.

I stood in the doorway but none had noticed my entrance, which was surprising because I wasn't exactly quiet. They all looked as if they were deep in thought so to get their attention I cleared my throat. All of them jumped, startled by my entrance, they all turned to look at me in the doorway and stared blankly at me before recognition flashed in their eyes. The next moment I was on the porch- tackled to the ground by my brothers. They were laughing and crying out my name in relief.

"Bella!" Josh cried out. "Your back!"

"Don't you ever scare us like that again!"

"We all thought that you had left us!"

I crawled out from under my brothers and eyed them curiously. "You thought I had left you guys?"

They all nodded their heads sadly. "Which would have been totally understandable after- well what happened." Ethan stated.

"Aw you guys, I would never leave you like that! You're family, and besides who else would take care of you if I left?"

"I don't know Bells, but I think our things would be safer!" Anthony laughed and I grinned.

"You are just lucky that you weren't home at the time or I might have destroyed more than your rooms." I threatened mockingly. We all laughed and Matthew shook his head.

"What happened to you Bella?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah you look like Shit!" Anthony added.

"Gee Thanks." I rolled my eyes at him before looking down at my clothes. I couldn't disagree with him and I shudder to think what I looked like after a week of hunting. I told them about the police officer's "visit" and my trip to Forks (leaving out the details of my breakdown- I don't think they need to know about that). I skimmed over the details of my funeral and they didn't ask questions sensing from my shaky voice that I didn't feel like discussing it. I told them about my wandering the forests just needing to be alone and I made it through with only one interruption from Anthony. I kept my eyes focused on my lap as I retold them my edited version, hoping to avoid revealing what I was feeling, although Daniel already knew.

"We're sorry Bella." Daniel said pulling me into a hug. I felt calm spread through me and I squeezed him to show my thanks. I chanced a look at their faces and was met with seven pairs of pitch black eyes.

"Oh! When was the last time you went hunting?" Everyone looked away from me and to Matthew. I turned to him as well when he began to speak.

"Well…" he began, running his fingers through his hair.

"Yes?" I prompted.

"You see Bella, after you showed up at our hunt last week and took that human-"

"Jamie." I stated.

"Jamie," he continued. "You made us look in her frightened eyes and…" he trailed off.

"And?" I asked getting impatient. When he didn't answer I shot a questioning glance to my other brothers who were avoiding my eyes. It was quiet for a few moments before Christopher startled me by yelling.

"Damn it Bella!" he ignored my shock expression and continued. "You ruined our hunt!"

My expression of shock changed instantly to one of rage! How dare he? He was the one attacking an innocent child! A _child_! Daniel must have felt the change because I felt a wave of calm go through me, but it did little to help my anger. I opened my mouth to speak when he held up his hand. "You made us look in her giant frightened eyes and for the rest of the night we felt horrible!" His voice then lowered. "Whenever we tried to attack someone else those we would see those damned blue eyes staring us in the face and we couldn't do it." He shook his head. "We just couldn't do it."

I looked around the room and saw those black eyes staring back at me. "So you haven't been hunting in three weeks?" I asked in disbelief.

They shook their heads. I was silent.

"Do you- Do you think you could…" Michael trailed off.

"What?" I asked. I had an idea of what they were going to ask me, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I had to be sure.

"Do you think you could teach us… to hunt animals?"

I felt a grin spread over my face and if I had a little less dignity and if I knew that I wouldn't be mocked for the rest of eternity for it, I would have jumped up in the air and begun clapping and squealing. "Really?"

They nodded their heads and I let out a tiny squeal. I gave all of them a bone crushing hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Can we take that as a yes?" Ethan laughed.

"Of course! But we will have to leave the area. At least until you can learn some control." I stated happily.

"I thought we might have to leave. We have been here long enough anyways." Matthew shrugged.

I remembered Jamie and I added, "But we can't move to far away, I promised Jamie."

At their questioning gazes I just shrugged my shoulders. "Do you have any ideas where we should go?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah, but would you mind if I cleaned myself up first before we go into this discussion?" I did not want to sit around in these bloody clothes anymore.

"Of course, but just don't sneak off." Matthew laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." I said.

"Good because we have been worried sick over you!" Daniel said and I smiled apologetically.

"I promise I won't run off like that again, at least not without telling you where I'm going." I held up my right hand as if I was taking an oath.

"That's all we're asking." Matthew smiled.

"Thanks _Mom_." They growled and I laughed. As I made my way up the stairs I heard Matthew call from downstairs.

"And Bella?"

"Yeah?" I said, not bothering to yell; I knew he could hear me.

"You're grounded." I laughed before going into my bathroom. It felt good to be home.


	9. Chapter Eight

**A/N: I'm so sorry that I have not updated in forever and for the fact that this chapter is so short, but don't worry the next one will be post either tonight or tomorrow and it long! Please R&R! **

**Chapter Eight-**

Anthony made a face as I pointed to the deer that was grazing nearby. He sniffed the air tentatively before cringing and turning to me with an incredulous expression.

"You want me to eat_that_?"

I rolled my eyes at my brother and nodded, pushing him toward the deer. He stubbornly dug his heels into the ground but I continued pushing, leaving a trail behind us.

"But Bella!" He stretched out my name with his whiny voice.

"No buts!" I hissed just low enough so that the deer couldn't hear me, although I doubt it mattered with the noise Anthony was making. We were hidden behind that trees as our unsuspecting prey grazed with his back to us. I gave Anthony one final shove.

"Fine!" he glared intimidatingly at me but the pout forming on his lips made him seem more like a petulant child than a bloodthirsty vampire.

"Good boy." I said before moving away from him. "I'm going to check on the others!" I called over my shoulder as Anthony watched the deer with an expression of curiosity and revulsion.

I took off in the direction that my brothers had told me that they were going. At first they had been eager to convert to the "vegetarian" diet as Josh had called it, but soon their enthusiasm had changed into frustration as the bloodlust grew. As a precaution, I had taken my brothers deep into a forest that was a few miles out from Astoria for their dietary lessons. We had built a cabin far away from the humans and began their hunting from there. It's a hard transition for them- Anthony especially, but I am proud of them for wanting this- for wanting to be better.

I ran through the forest, the trees passing by me in a blur. I sniffed the air and caught the scent of Michael. Following it closely I came into a clearing to find him in a crouching position and a small pack of wolves gathering around him. I stood on the sidelines and watched as one of the wolves lunged for him. Michael jumped out of the way and watched with pleasure as the wolf hit the ground with a thud. He slowly got up and joined the others. Another one lunged at him from behind but Michael caught his throat and snapped it in half. He quickly tossed it to the side and grabbed another wolf.

"You might want to hurry it up. Don't want your food to get cold." I laughed and he joined in before finishing off the wolves. I left to find Christopher when I saw him sink his teeth into the wolves neck- I may be a vampire but I still find it disgusting to watch.

I was searching the air for the scent of my other brothers when a most unwelcome and delicious smell filled my senses. The one thought running through my mind was- _Not Good!_

I rushed in the direction of the poor human who had unknowingly hiked into a vampire coven's hunting grounds. I willed my legs to move faster and that I might not be too late. Suddenly the woods were filled with an unearthly shriek of terror. I moved faster than I thought possible and led myself into a clearing where I saw Ethan crouched over a human girl, his lips pressed hard to her neck and his eyes dangerously black. It was too late, and I could do nothing but watch as he drained the life of the poor girl. My brothers, having heard the scream, had arrived in the clearing not long after me and watched with sadness and slight jealousy at their brother's meal.

Once her body had been drained, realization slowly came into Ethan's eyes as he looked at what he just did. The horror and guilt in his expression almost broke my heart. He crumpled to the ground, falling to his knees and began sobbing. I walked slowly to his side and crouched down so that I was eye level with him. He slowly looked up at me and my Topaz eyes were met with his burgundy ones. I wasn't angry with him; I only felt compassion. I pulled him into a hug and he mumbled his apologies to me.

"I'm so sorry B-Bella." He stuttered.

"Shhh." I rubbed soothing circles into his back as he continued to cry tearlessly on my shoulder. "It's not your fault. It just takes time." I whispered.

It just takes time.

**A/N: Next chapter is a new POV, I hope you aren't disappointed.**


	10. Chapter Nine Part One

**A/N: New POV- Jamie's. I hope you like it and please R&R!**

**You guys are awesome, over 100 Reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter...  
**

**JPOV-**

I sighed impatiently as I gazed outside of my window, my eyes squinting to see through the rain, searching for the figure of my angel. It was useless as all I could see were the raindrops that were sliding down my windowpane. I stood up and began pacing.

Bella had been gone for seven years now. She has kept her promise of visiting and keeping in touch with me through e-mails, phone conversations, and the occasional letter- despite the hazard of our situation.

When she saved me that night from her brothers, I had not fully comprehended the danger that I had been in. I did however know two things: the first was that Bella was an angel- and the second was that I did not want her to go.

That first night that Bella had begun appearing at my window, I had wanted to tell everyone about her- my own personal guardian angel. Bella had advised me against it, telling me that if others found out about her that she would not be able to return. I did not want her to disappear from me forever and I was excited with the prospect of having a secret, but it had been more than that. I didn't _want_ to share her either. Bella was mine and mine alone.

After a few years of her visits I was growing curious and more suspicious of _what_ my angel was, but I had never asked, fearing she may not come back if I bothered her with my questions. I had no way of knowing that my angel had thought herself among the damned.

It had been the night of my 11th birthday and as usual my father was passed out drunk on the living room couch. He hadn't always been that way; it was only after my mother's death that he had become an alcoholic. He was never cruel to me or beat me, but his addiction worried me. I hadn't told Bella about it, but I think she knew, somehow she_always_ knew. My dad and I had a small celebration before he began his nightly ritual of drinking himself into a stupor. I was anxious to go upstairs and lock myself in my room with my best friend, who I instinctively knew was waiting for me.

I raced up the stairs and flew into my room, locking the door behind me. I remember letting out a sigh of relief and leaning my forehead against the door- I never liked seeing my father drunk. I heard a small giggle from behind me and I swung around to see Bella sitting Indian style on my bed. She was wearing a pair of blue plaid pajamas with fuzzy blue slippers. Her shiny brown curls fell to the side as she tilted her head curiously watching my expression. Her lips were tilted up in a small smile.

"Well don't you look festive." She said before another giggle escaped her lips.

I cocked my head to the side imitating her previous movements. For some unknown reason, her laughter increased as she pointed towards my mirror. I followed her finger and could not help but join in her laughter as I took in my Birthday crown. It had a silver plastic rim with pink and purple feathers going in all directions and in Gold lettering were the words 'Birthday Princess'. Bella hopped gracefully off the bed and curtsied to me.

"Your Royal Highness."

"Shut up." I mumbled pulling off the offending crown and placing it on my dresser. I turned back around only to find my angel gone.

"Bella?" I had asked slightly confused.

"In here!" She called from the inside of my closet. Her head popped out from the door.

"What are you doing?" I knew from the little that I had learned from Bella's life that she cared little for clothes and detested makeovers just as much as I did.

"Nothing…" She trailed off, glancing behind her at something that was inside of the closet.

"And what does nothing entail?" I pressed not bothering to hide the curiosity in my voice.

"Patience is a virtue." She laughed before disappearing once again into my closet.

"One that I do not posses!" I smiled before making my way towards the closet. I tried to be as quiet as possible but she heard me. She _always_ heard me.

"No way Jamie!" Bella shot out of the closet faster than possible and pushed me over to my bed. "Sit." She instructed as if I were a dog. "Stay." She said sternly. I half expected her to say 'good girl!' and throw me a treat. She moved over to my dresser and pulled out one of my black scarves and handed it to me.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked incredulously. Bella just rolled her eyes and took the item away from me. She covered my eyes and I felt a tugging from behind me. Everything was black and I heard the sound of her laughter before the room went quiet.

"Bella?" I asked, wondering if she had left me. I received no answer but I felt a gust of wind blow past me, but that was impossible seeing as how I left my window closed. Shaking my head of the thought I waited.

After what seemed like an eternity, but in actuality was only about ten minutes, Bella told me that I could take off the blindfold. The moment that my eyes could focus I let out a soft gasp and Bella giggled.

I knew that I shouldn't be surprised; after all, she always threw me the best parties even if it only was the two of us. When I was seven she had taken me to the zoo and somehow convinced them to let me feed some of the baby animals. When I was eight she had transformed my room into a tearoom and we had spent the night laughing and drinking tea, speaking in English accents and eat scones- well I did anyway.

This was so much better.

It was as if my room had been transformed into a theatre. My bare pink walls had been covered up with movie posters from every era, and there were red and gold streamers hanging down from the walls. In front of my bed was a flat screen TV sitting on a small cart that was draped with a red velvety cloth with confetti scattered across the top. On a table on one side of my room were bowls of different kinds of junk food necessary for a movie marathon. Beside that was a small rack of DVDs and in one corner of my room sat a large pile of presents. My eyes widened at the size of it.

"Angel!" I admonished slipping into my personal name for her, she knew that I didn't like her to spend money on me, but she never listened.

Bella came to stand next to me and tilted her head to the side as if pondering something. "Too much?" she asked innocently- almost too innocently.

"Not at all." I muttered sarcastically causing my angel to laugh.

"It isn't all just from me." She said as she examined my pile of presents.

"Oh?" I raised my brow and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Of course not!" She moved away from where we had been standing and over to the rack of DVDs pulling out a copy of Casa Blanca- my favorite movie- and popping it into the DVD player. "There are a few from my brothers."

Silence.

I'm sure my face was the essence of pure shock at that moment, after all Bella had just informed me of another facet of her enigmatic life. Of course not wanting the moment to pass, I pounced.

"You have brothers?!" I asked, excited that I was learning more about my angel.

She nodded once and shot me a look that was full of sadness, but just as I was about to question her she grabbed the remote for the movie and pressed play. I moved to sit next to her on the bed but she held up a hand and shook her head.

"What-" she cut off my question by pointing to one of the presents on the top of my present mountain.

"Not until you are properly dressed." I looked at her curiously before reaching for the present and unwrapping it to find a pair of plaid pajamas and fuzzy slippers like hers except they were green.

"I thought you didn't like new clothes?"

"It's a special occasion." She shrugged before shoving me into my closet so that I may change. Not long after we were both lying on the bed and watching Casa Blanca. At some parts during the film I would sneak glances in Bella's direction. She looked exactly the same as she had four years ago. The same inhumanly beautiful features and the same cold- almost granite-like skin; I knew that there was something she wasn't telling me and it unnerved me to no end. After about the fourth time that I glanced in her direction I saw her lips quirk up in a small smile.

"What are you looking at?"

I let out a yelp of surprise and faced the TV once again. "Nothing."

We watched the rest of the movie in relative silence and I sighed when the credits rolled onto the screen. "I love this movie."

"Really? I never would have guessed." Bella said sarcastically. We both sat up from our positions. "So what would you like to do next? We could open your presents," I groaned and Bella laughed. "Or we could watch another movie or-" I cut her off.

"Could we talk?" I asked trying to sound nonchalant but Bella saw right through that.

"That depends upon what we discuss." She answered carefully.

"I want to know more about you." I answered hopefully. She stiffened.

"I don't think that would be such a good idea Jamie, you might not like what you hear." She said so softly that I almost didn't hear.

"Please Angel!" I began begging. "You're my best friend and I barely know anything about you! You know _everything_" I stressed everything because I could never hide anything from Bella. "About me!" I gave her my puppy dog pout and I saw her resolve cave.

Bella reached over and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "Oh Jamie, I don't know what I'm going to do without you." She said sadly shaking her head. I instantly went into panic mode.

"Without me!" I cried jumping up from my bed. "Where are you going Bella? Please don't leave me!"

"I'm not going anywhere unless you ask me to, but I'm not sure you will want me around after…" She trailed off uncharacteristically.

"I would never want you to go Bella." I said softly. "You're my angel."

"I'm no angel Jamie." She shook her head but I wouldn't hear it.

"That didn't work when I was seven, and it isn't going to work now! Whether you want to believe me or not Bella, you are my angel, no matter what you are!"

"I wouldn't say that just yet." She muttered. I chose to ignore her comment and sat down beside her again.

"You were saying?" I pressed gently.

"I'm not human Jamie." She watched me closely as if waiting to gauge my reaction.

"I knew that already." I stated impatiently.

"I-I'm a vampire." Bella whispered softly.

For the second time that evening there was nothing.

Silence.

I blinked once, than again.

Bella. My angel, my best friend is a- "Vampire." I whispered.

**A/N: Part Two of this chapter will be up by the end of the week. Please R&R! **


	11. Chapter Nine Part Two

**A/N: I'm really (x 10) sorry about how late this chapter is! I hope it was worth the wait... please read and review! **

**Chapter Nine (Part Two)-**

Bella watched me closely as I took in her information. I had no trouble believing it- I had always known that she wasn't human, but my thoughts had always leant toward a heavenly being, not a soulless monster-

I stopped myself there.

Bella was not some soulless monster, she was my best friend and no matter what she was, she would always be my saving angel. She protected me, loved me, treated me like a sister; I would not abandon her because I finally knew what I had always wanted. Bella was no different than she had always been. She had always been a… vampire- I shuddered at the word- and if she were going to hurt me she would have. Now the question is, will I run away from her- my best friend?

I shook my head quickly doing away with the thought. There was no way I could let her go, especially not now. I smiled to myself, my decision was made and I wasn't going back. I looked up to meet Bella's eyes. They were full of sorrow and were shining with unshed tears; she looked pained and I couldn't understand why.

"What's wrong?" I asked suddenly confused. Why on earth would she be sad?

"What's wrong?" She choked out the last word and stood up quickly from her spot on my bed. Her back was to me, but I could tell that she was upset. Her shoulders were hunched, which was a sharp contrast to her usually perfect posture, and she was shaking slightly. Slowly I moved towards her and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

She shrugged off my hand and moved quickly to the other side of the room as if she were afraid. _But of what?_ I thought to myself.

"Angel?" I asked uncertainly. She shouldn't be crying. Why was she crying?

She let out a sob at the sound of my voice and her shaking increased. I ran quickly to her side and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "Shhh" I whispered as her sobs quieted. She pulled slightly away from me and scrutinized my face.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

Is that what she was worried about? I could have laughed if it weren't for the despair that marred her expression. I shook my head furiously and her brow furrowed.

"Why not?"

"Angel, you haven't hurt me yet and you have been my best friend since I was seven. I think four years of safety is more than enough to ensure that you won't kill me." I laughed and after slight hesitation she smiled at me.

"You are just like I was." She said quietly. I looked back at her face and saw that it was twisted with pain and I noticed with horror that her usual golden eyes were a hollow depthless black.

"Angel?" She snapped her head back to me and the pain that was there before almost completely disappeared from her face. It was only her eyes that betrayed her. Hoping to distract her I hopped up form my spot on the floor and grabbed Bella's hand. She was seemed surprised as she stared at my hand, but took it willingly. I pulled her to my bed and sat down so that we were facing each other.

"Now," I began as I made myself comfortable. "Tell me everything."

Bella looked at me like I had just grown another head but nodded. "Well as you know I'm a vampire…" She began but I interrupted her.

"Wait!" A thought had just occurred to me and I shifted uneasily before continuing. "Do you eat humans?"

To my surprise, she laughed. "No," I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding. "I'm what you might call a 'vegetarian'. I hunt animals, but we still have to drink blood." I wrinkled my nose and she shot back, "Hey! It tastes better than what you eat!" She gestured over to the table that was covered in junk food.

"But _blood_?"

"What else did you expect? Tea and crumpets? I _am_ a vampire." I blushed and opened my mouth to speak when she cut me off. "Do you want to find out about my life or are you going to keep interrupting me?" I closed my mouth and nodded for her to continue.

"Well aside from drinking blood." She glanced at me as I made a face. "We are blindingly fast, super strong, and heightened senses- super hearing," She shot me a look and I found myself thinking how it explained everything. "We have special powers, are deathly pale, and inhumanly beautiful." She snorted at the last one, but I ignored that and tried to wrap my mind around what she was saying.

"Special powers?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. She narrowed her eyes at me.

"I thought you weren't going to interrupt?"

"Come on! You can't say something like that and not expect me to be curious!" I defended and she rolled her eyes.

"Well when you are… changed into a vampire,"

"You mean you weren't always like that?" She glared at me and I clamped my hands over my mouth.

"As I was saying, when you are changed, supposedly you carry over a trait from your human life and it is enhanced." When I was sure she had finished I ventured a question.

"Do you have a power?" She grinned at me and suddenly she was gone. I was just about to panic when she reappeared once again.

"I can turn invisible and block other vampires' powers. The invisibility I suppose comes from the fact that when I was human I was embarrassed easily and as for the second one, I was immune to some when-" She stopped abruptly and pain flickered in her eyes. I decided to distract her from whatever she had been thinking and brought up her family.

"You said that you had brothers?" I prompted hoping to see a smile but was met with only sadness.

"Yes." She whispered softly. I sighed in frustration.

"Come on Angel! You have to give me something!" She smiled slightly but there was apprehension in her expression.

"I have nine brothers." I felt my eyes bug out of my head.

"Nine?!" She nodded, laughing at my expression.

"They aren't _really_ my brothers, but after the change they became my only family." She paused and became lost in thought.

"What are their names?" I pulled her back from her reverie and she smiled.

"Matthew, Joshua, Anthony, Christopher, Daniel, Michael, and Ethan." I counted each one off on my fingers and came up short.

"Bella? That's only seven." She looked at me blankly for a moment and the pain flared up in her eyes as she fought to keep her face calm. I quickly pulled her into a hug as she began sobbing in my arms. She began mumbling something about herself not being good enough and my temper flared that someone had treated her so poorly; being only matched with the confusion I felt. What had happened to her? After a few minutes, she calmed down and pulled away from me, giving me a wry smile.

"Sorry." She mumbled, but I shook my head.

"Angel, what happened?"

Bella sat there quietly for what seemed an eternity before she let out a shaky breath and began a story filled with friendship, love, acceptance, monsters, eternity, and betrayal. I say there quietly throughout her story, watching as her face changed from despair, to happiness, to anger, hopelessness, and heartbreaking acceptance. By the time she was through she was dry sobbing again and I pulled her back to me. I found myself hating Edward Cullen and his entire family for what they had done to my best friend. She didn't deserve this kind of pain and he most certainly didn't deserve her.

I watched as my angel's broken heart was laid before me and for the first time, I got a glimpse of how fragile she truly was. After she had calmed down, she continued and told me about the accident and her change. Bella told me about her brothers and I felt my eyes widen in fear as she told me for the first time what really had happened the night I was attacked. How close I had come to dying and by the hand of her own brothers. She was apprehensive of how I might take this information, but I felt only relief that she had been there and gratitude that it had brought her to me. She told me of her life in the forest as her brothers slowly learned control over their natural instincts.

"It's hard." She said quietly. "But I believe in them and I know that they can do it."

That night was three years ago and Bella and I have become even closer than we had been before. She had began visiting my home once a week and she filled me in on the antics of her brothers as I told her about my life at school. It seemed so boring to me, but Bella had assured me that she wanted to hear it all.

My pacing resumed as I waited for her arrival- she had said that she had a surprise for me and I was impatient for her visit. I heard the raising of my window and swung around quickly expecting to see my angel- but in her place finding three inhumanly beautiful males whom I recognized immediately from Bella's descriptions.

The first was the biggest and most intimidating of the three. He had curly brown hair and made me want to dive under my bed in fright. The second was taller, leaner, but still muscular, and had honey blond hair. The third one I hated instantly, he had to be Edward. His untidy bronze hair was falling into his face. He was more lanky than the others, less bulky, but there was something else. Something that showed he was suffering immensely, I could read it in his eyes. _Good! He deserves to suffer!_

They all glanced in my direction once before turning back and arguing amongst themselves. They were speaking so quickly that I could barely catch their conversation.

"You said that she would be here!" Edward hissed to the one I recognized as Jasper.

"She has been here, I know it."

The rest of the conversation sounded like a low humming noise and I found myself impatient, I cleared my throat but they seemed to be too caught up in their own conversation. Eventually they slowed their speech as the conversation came to a close.

"What do we do about the human?" Emmett asked glancing in my direction.

"Leave her be, we won't be back here anyways. No one will believe her." They nodded their heads and Edward turned to Jasper.

"I need you to figure out how long it's been since she was here." Jasper nodded his head at Edward and turned around to face my room. He took a deep breath and in that moment three things happened at once.

The first was that Jasper had stiffened and turned his now onyx eyes to me. The second was I found myself on the ground. And the third…

Fire.

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	12. Chapter Ten

**A/N: I know this is short and I'm sorry, but it is a changing chapter and it is important. Please read the authors note at the bottom and I will know where to go next with this story. **

**Chapter Ten-**

Pain.

Unimaginable, inconceivable, tortuous pain.

Fire was burning through my veins, licking at my skin, taunting me. I would claw at my neck where the pain had been most prominent and for all my effort I received no relief. Only the feeling of cool hands pinning my arms to my side; the cold felt unbelievable against the fire, but when I thought about who those hands might belong to, I would thrash against them. In the back of my mind I knew what was happening to me, that I was becoming like my angel, but at the moment all I could focus on was the pain- that and my anger.

How dare they?!

Those _Cullens_- I spat the word out in my head, not wanting to even think their names, had stolen my life and hurt the one person who had always been there for me. At the thought of her, my thoughts turned from rage to sadness. Angel, she was on her way to my house, and if she finds me gone-

I couldn't complete my thought as another wave of fire swept over me. I couldn't hold back my screams and I cried out to the one person that I needed with me more than anything and the one person who I know that I could never be here. Not with me, because I was with _them_.

I hated them!

My thoughts screamed inside my head, as my voice could no longer be heard. There was an intense throbbing and I felt as if my head were exploding and the fire no longer permitted me to see, nor hear, nor scream.

But I could think, and despite the pain that threatened to make me forget everything, I would not forget Angel, nor the people that had hurt her. I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness and the presence of others around me, but the one thought that ran through my mind, the one emotion that I would not let go of.

Hate.

** PLEASE READ!**

I need to know if you guys would like to see Bella's reaction to Jamie's disappearance or if I should just continue to right after her change. Knowing Bella's reaction might just tie you over until the reunion because it will show you what she will be doing... or I could just go straight to the Cullens. Please Review and let me know. Also look at my poll, I need to know what story to update next.


	13. Chapter Eleven

**A/N: The votes are in and most of you chose Bella's reaction. Here it is and I'm sorry for the wait.  
**

**Chapter Eleven-**

**BPOV-**

"Please!" Anthony begged me once again as I pulled my hair up into a ponytail. "Please Bella, I want to meet the human!"

I ignored his pleas, much to his annoyance, and pushed him aside from the doorway of my bathroom. He continued to follow me throughout my room as I glanced about making sure I had everything.

"Come on Bells! You have been taking care of this girl for what? Seven years now? We want to meet her!"

I swung around to look my brother in the face. "We?" My _annoying_ brother had been spending the better part of the day pestering me into taking him to meet Jamie. I loved my brothers, but I had no intention of allowing them near her when not too long ago they had been attempting to _eat _her.

He nodded his head furiously as my other brothers appeared in my doorway. I looked at each one of them, six pairs of Topaz colored eyes met my own. I turned back to Anthony who had made his eyes as wide as possible and attempted to pout.

I snorted.

"Please Bella!" He continued as I turned away from him to grab my purse. I heard a loud thumping noise and suddenly my leg felt heavier. I looked down to see Anthony holding onto my leg as if it were his lifeline. I tried to shake him off but he wouldn't budge.

"Let go of me!" I demanded but he shook his head stubbornly.

"Not until you say that we can meet the human!"

"Anthony!" I screeched, but aside from his flinching there was no sign of him backing down. I turned back to my other brothers who were watching us with amusement. "A little help here?"

"No way Bella." "Yeah, we want to meet the human too." "I agree with Anthony."

"You already have met her!" I snapped at them, instantly regretting it. Their faces fell and I cringed as Anthony loosened his grip and walked despondently towards the rest of them.

"You don't trust us." Ethan stated quietly.

"No! You all have made great progress and I know that with a few more months of "practice" you could all handle high school!" I didn't want them doubting themselves. It was true that they had all gained control of their bloodlust, but it was different with Jamie.

"Then why can we not see her?" Christopher demanded. "You trust us enough with the lives of complete strangers, but not with Jamie?" I could hear the anger in his voice that didn't quite mask the hurt that he- and I'm sure all my brothers felt.

"That isn't it!" I let out a sigh and sat down on my couch. "It's just…" I paused. "Accidents happen." Yeah, like cutting open your finger on a stupid piece of wrapping paper and having one of your brothers attack you. I felt the pain begin to seep through before a wave of calm washed over me. I sent Daniel a grateful smile, but it came out more like a grimace.

"Please, we promise not to hurt her." I don't think that they could help it if they did. I shook my head.

"What if we don't come inside?" Matthew suggested. I looked at him carefully and nodded for him to continue. "I doubt her scent would be as effective outside, and if we did… lose control, you could carry her to safety. You're faster than us Bella."

"That might work." I saw their faces brighten, but there was one other thing. "I don't know how Jamie would react to seeing all of you." Once again their faces fell. Daniel was the first to speak.

"Do you think you might give her the choice?" he asked hesitantly, but he couldn't hide the hopefulness that seeped into his voice. I stood there for a moment and watched my brothers closely.

"Alright." A chorus of "Yes!" surrounded me and I smiled. "But it's her choice. Now hurry up and get ready, I want to be out of here in five minutes!" The next moment I was alone. I shook my head and sighed before standing up from my seat and walking at human pace down the stairs.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

We had left the house a little later than I had planned because of an impromptu hunting trip and I was anxious to see Jamie. Something was telling me that I needed to get to her and that there was something wrong. I tried to write it off as being anxious for my brothers, but my instincts told me otherwise. We were about half a mile from Jamie's home when I smelled it.

Vampires.

I unconsciously let out a low growl and pushed my legs faster, my brothers following closely behind me. I knew that it was irrational to think that they would be after Jamie, but I couldn't help but worry and then there was that feeling gnawing at my gut telling me that something was wrong. That feeling that I couldn't ignore. And as I got closer to Jamie's home and the smell became stronger- the feeling proved to be correct.

I sprinted up to her house faster than I had ever done before and didn't pause for my brothers to tell them to wait. I raced up the tree that was near her window, which I found open and jumped through, landing with an unusually loud thud. I looked around frantically hoping to find Jamie sitting on her bed waiting for me and her surprise. What I found in her place broke what was left of my heart.

Her bed had been ripped to shreds and glass lay everywhere from the shattered mirror. It was obvious that there had been a struggle and I tried to see through the tears that would never fall, for any sign that she was alive. But when I looked all I could find crushed my hopes. A pool of blood stained the carpet near her door and I fell to my knees before letting out a loud cry in agony.

I was vaguely aware of my brothers' presence as I felt my heart being ripped from my chest for the second time in my existence.

Jamie was gone.

Daniel held me in his arms as my other brothers stood there helplessly looking around the room. I could make out the anger and sadness battling in their eyes. Sadness won out when they looked at me as I sobbed uncontrollably.

I don't know how long that we were there before Matthew broke the silence.

"Bella," he began gently, bending down to my height so that I could look him in the eye. His eyes were no longer the golden topaz that I had grown used to, but were a pitch less black. "I think we should leave for…" He didn't get a chance to continue before I cut him off.

"NO!" I screamed, releasing myself from Daniel arms and backing away from my brothers. "I am _not_ letting who ever took her from me get away with this!" My out burst shocked them and they all stepped back.

"Bella…" Michael began.

"NO! They. _Will_. Die." I snarled to them. "And whether or not you will help me, I AM going!" I finished shaking violently.

"How will you find them?" Christopher asked me.

"I don't know! I can track them, I can call the Volturi, I can…" I was becoming hysterical but I didn't care. Jamie was gone and who ever did this would pay! A wave of calm was sent my way but I snarled at Daniel and he immediately stopped, shocked that I had reacted that way. "You don't have to come, but I'm leaving." I finished and I saw their expressions turn from shock to anger.

"You are not leaving us behind!" "You can't leave us!" "Where you go we go!"

"We're coming." Matthew finished. I tried to give them a small smile, but through my anger I only managed to scowl. "How are we going to do this? I think we should all take in the scent in this room, it will help to find them if we all know the scent." We nodded and took a collective breath. Three familiar scents filled my senses and two things registered with me at that moment.

The first…

Pain.

And the second…

Rage.

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	14. Chapter Twelve

**A/N: Yes, I know its short, but its an update sooner than I had planned and the next one will be longer.  
**

**Chapter Twelve-**

I was swimming on the brink of consciousness. The hellish fires had abated and now all I felt was nothing.

Sweet, sweet, nothing.

I could just make out the voices of those around me, but I did not care because all I wanted to do was enjoy the peace from the fire that had lived in my body since I could remember.

"_Is it over?"_

"_She isn't screaming anymore."_

"_How long until she wakes up?"_

"_Should I shake her awake? Ow! What was that for?"_

"_Shut up Emmett!"_

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself face to face with seven of the most beautiful people I had ever seen. There were four men, one of them looked like a serious weight lifter, with curly hair. The second was sitting farthest away from me and looked pained for some reason. He was taller than the first boy, leaner, but still muscular, and honey blond. The third boy was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the other two, but something about him made me dislike him immediately. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I had a feeling that I hated this boy, but I couldn't quite remember why that was. The last looked older than the other three, but he was young, he was blond, and if I had to be honest- looked better than any movie star I had seen.

There were three girls, the younger two complete opposites. The tall golden haired beauty made my self-esteem fall ten notches from just looking at her. The short girl was pixielike, extremely thin, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction. She was hopping up and down and looked almost like a blur and she had a giant grin plastered across her face. The last had the same pale, beautiful features as the rest of them, but something about her heart-shaped face, her billows of soft, caramel-colored hair, reminded me of the ingénues of the silent-movie era. She was small, but more rounded than the others and she gave me a small smile while taking my hand in hers.

"Hello dear."

I didn't respond right away. Something about this family put me on edge and I felt as if I shouldn't be there, I shouldn't trust them. After I saw they were all waiting for me to respond I shook my head of the thought and answered quietly.

"Hello."

No one said anything else and the feeling of unease wasn't going away. They just continued to stare at me and I didn't like it, their eyes were disconcerting.

"If you don't mind my asking, who are you?" This snapped them out of their daze and the older man spoke.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen and this is my wife Esme." He pointed to the caramel haired woman and she gave me another smile. If I were in any other situation, I might have liked her, but there was something not right here, but whenever I tried to remember I came up blank. "And these are my children…" I glanced from him to the five others in the room skeptically. No way was he a father. "Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Rosalie, and Alice." Alice and Emmett smiled warmly at me and Rosalie nodded her head in acknowledgement. Edward didn't bother to respond and Jasper was avoiding looking at me. I stared at Jasper, there was something almost familiar about him, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Will you tell me who you are?" Carlisle asked me, drawing my attention away from his son who had begun to squirm under my gaze. I opened my mouth to answer him, but I couldn't think of it.

"I-I can't." Why can't I remember my name? Why couldn't I remember anything? Only the fire and- an angel. I felt the panic rising in me and I looked around frantically at the people around me. "I can't remember!"

I felt an arm on my shoulder and I turned to see Alice, she was holding a small locket in her hands that had a J inscribed on the front. She held it out to me and I took it from her and examined it. It looked familiar to me, but I couldn't place where I had seen it.

"Where did you get this?" I asked not taking my eyes off the locket.

"You were wearing it when-" she stopped herself in the middle of her sentence, but I didn't press her, all I could think of was the locket I held in my hands.

"I remember anything." I whispered so quietly that I wasn't sure they would hear me. I tore my eyes away from the locket and looked to Carlisle. "What happened to me?"

He sighed and shook his head. "There is no easy way to say this. My family and I we aren't- we aren't normal." Rosalie snorted.

"I don't understand."

Carlisle took a deep breath before he continued. "We're vampires."

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	15. Chapter Thirteen

**A/N: OMG! I know that it has been _forever_ since I have last updated, and my only excuse was that my teachers were being incredibly evil and that the pesky annoyance known as writer's block decided to pay me a visit. You will all be happy to know that after he crashed on my couch for the last month and a half, I have finally kicked him out and I hope that he won't return... ever. Now I know that this chapter is short, but you won't believe how hard it was to write. Next chapter should be longer and up shortly.**

**Once again, I am eternally grateful for those who have been reviewing and telling me to post.**

**Chapter Thirteen-**

"_We're Vampires."_

I looked at him incredulously, waiting for him to start laughing. His expression was nothing but serious, but I couldn't believe him. Vampires were not real. I looked over at the others who were watching me warily.

"I'm sorry." I said shaking my head. I couldn't possibly have heard him right. "I don't think I heard you right, could you repeat that?"

Carlisle sighed and ran his hand through his hair before repeating himself. "We're vampires."

I sat there silently for a moment and shook my head again. "That's what I thought you said." _These people must be crazy!_ I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up slowly, not wishing to make any sudden movements and startle them. They looked at me with confusion as I faced them and slowly inched towards the door behind me. "It was nice meeting you, but I think I should be getting home." _Wherever that is…_ Why can't I remember?

As I turned to leave, the big one, Emmett, stood up and took a step towards me. Carlisle, however, was the one to speak. "You cannot leave and we are telling you the truth, you _are _a vampire." He spoke earnestly, but I couldn't believe him.

"I'm sure you believe that you are vampires, but you must be mistaken with me. I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm human." I took another step backwards and Emmett, matching my movement, took a step forward. _Okay, this isn't going to work._ "I really should be going." I hinted although I had no clue where home was at the moment. _Someone_ had to be looking for me right?

"I'm sorry, but we cannot let you leave." Carlisle continued. "You are a newborn and its too dangerous for you to be let loose around the humans." _Like Hell am I staying here!_ That disturbing feeling of familiarity came over me again; intensifying the unease I have felt in their presence since I had woken up. _Maybe I could run for it…_

The boy named Edward snapped his head in my direction; his eyes were a deep black compared to the golden color of his siblings. "Emmett, grab her she is going to try and run." Before I could comprehend it, Emmett was at my side and had his huge hands held firmly on my shoulders. I shouted for him to let me go, but his grip tightened.

"I could use a little help here!" Emmett grumbled as I fought against his hold on me.

"Jasper!" Rosalie snapped at the blonde man who had not moved from his seat in the corner. He slowly looked up at his sister and nodded before appearing at my side and taking hold of me with his brother. I began thrashing against them, but although I managed to put up a good fight, I was no match for the two of them.

"Let me go!" I snapped.

"Do you promise not to run?" Carlisle asked calmly. _Why was he so calm?_

_No. _"Yes." I lied, hoping that I could make a run for it the moment they let me go.

"She's lying." Edward said and I glared at him. _How did he know?_

He smirked at me and I found myself disliking him even more. There was something about these people that I didn't like, but try as I might I could not put my finger on it.

By now I had given up struggling against my captors, knowing that it was useless. If they wanted to do something to me than there was nothing I could do to stop it. There were seven people in this room and I was only one person. The odds that I would be able to escape from them were not good, and I was not about to make a fool of myself by attempting it.

My attention was drawn away from my thoughts by a painful itching in the back of my throat. I swallowed hard in hopes that it might go away, but it was a vain attempt that only seemed to increase the burning. The pain wouldn't stop and I managed to pull my arm from the one named Jasper's grasp and clutched my throat in a feeble attempt to rid myself of the pain.

"Are you thirsty?" The little one, Alice, asked me.

"I don't know, but my throat is hurting." That was an understatement!

"She needs to hunt." Carlisle stated turning his gaze from me to Emmett and Jasper. "I think you two should take her, but make sure that she doesn't lose control." _Hunting? Why on earth would we go hunting? What the hell does that have to do with anything?_ If they thought I was going to play Elmer Fudd than they had another thing coming.

The boys nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world and dragged me away from the room. I didn't bother to struggle, but I glared at Emmett, which caused him to chuckle at me.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked when they began to lead me outside of the house and towards the woods.

"Hunting."

And they did take me hunting. It wasn't until after I had drained an entire herd of deer, that I finally believed them.

I stepped away from the dear's carcass in horror, its large glassy eyes staring up at me in terror, realizing what I had just done. What I had become.

I was a vampire.

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	16. Chapter Fourteen

**A/N: Yes, I know, another short chapter, but its a quick update! Now, some of you have been worried about Jamie and Edward, and how they might fall in love and I must ask you, What kind of author do you think I am? I am a strictly BellaxEdward writer, and to be honest, Jamie and Edward don't get along too well. For reasons that will come out in later chapters, or if I can't fit it in, I will write it in an author's note.**

**Hope you like the chapter!**

**Chapter Fourteen-**

"Sunlight?"

"Myth."

"Sleeping in coffins?"

"Myth… We don't actually sleep."

"Garlic? Wooden stakes?"

This last one caused Emmett to break out into huge laughter, shaking the windows and the picture frames on the walls. I glared at him, which only caused him to laugh harder. Rosalie smacked him on the back of his head successfully causing him to stop.

"Myth." Carlisle continued as if nothing happened. "You are basically indestructible, like granite. As for the sun, it doesn't actually harm you, but we tend to call attention to ourselves." At my confused expression he elaborated. "We sparkle."

Great, just what I've always wanted- to be a walking disco ball.

It had been a week since my change and all I can say is that if this was what eternity looked like- well it blows.

The pain in the back of my throat, which had been temporarily eased by my hunting trip, came back with a vengeance not even an hour later. Carlisle had told me that it was normal for a newborn to be thirsty for the first few months after the change. Imagine my joy.

The Cullens themselves were another story.

Carlisle was a doctor, his inhuman compassion giving him immunity to human blood. He wasn't home during the days and usually spent his free time with Esme or locked in his study. Out of all the Cullens, he seemed the most- human.

Esme was the mother and all around homemaker. She was usually spending her time improving the already perfect house in some way or another, or breaking up arguments between her "children" which there were plenty of.

Alice Cullen was the crazy hyperactive shopping obsessed sister I never had and never wanted in the first place. If anything good comes from the bloodlust that now lives within me, it's the fact that the little pixie can't take me shopping. A conversation with Alice usually had me nodding occasionally to what ever she was saying, while she talked on at warp speed.

If I was honest, I know that I'm not being fair to her. I'm sure if I wasn't so- uncomfortable around the Cullens, than we might have been friends. But as it is, I'm not and this is how things were.

Emmett was immature and acted more like a two-year old than a vampire. He was more simple minded than his family, focusing more on his strength than his mind. He wasn't an idiot, but preferred to use his brain for more diabolical schemes. Such as pranking his siblings at every opportunity he got. It was an off day when his booming laughter could not be heard throughout the house.

Jasper was probably the least annoying of them all. However, it could be the fact that he is avoiding me that makes him seem as if he isn't really there. His avoidance didn't bother me, once I realized why this vampire looked so forlorn whenever I walked into a room. I assume he didn't want to look at his mistake; after all he was the one who changed me. Now let me tell you that was a fun conversation to have.

Rosalie was by far my favorite Cullen. She didn't take crap from anyone in the house, although she could dish it out better than anyone I had ever met. It wasn't that we actually got along, or spoke to be honest. Our conversations usually consisted of-

"Girl," The name that she had so lovingly bestowed upon me, seeing as how I could no longer remember my name. "Have you seen Emmett?"

To this I would answer whether I had or not, and she would thank me accordingly, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder and heading off in what ever direction I had pointed her.

And so ends the relationship between me and Miss Rosalie Hale.

Yet, despite her attitude and serious superiority complex, she remained my favorite of the family. She left me to myself, and as an added bonus, wasn't the nicest person to Edward.

That may seems like a horrible reason to like someone, but there was something about Edward that I didn't like.

He was my least favorite of the Cullen clan. If it wasn't his brooding nature or the depressing music that constantly blared from his bedroom, then the way that he constantly glared at me, as if I were the reason for his unhappiness, certainly won me over. But there was something else, the unease that I felt around the Cullens seemed to be magnified when Edward was around. The nagging feeling that I somehow knew these people would not leave my mind.

My mind.

That was another thing that bothered me about Edward. It was an open book to him, and every thought that passed through it, he would catch and usually had some snide remark to make upon it. Why he didn't like me, was a mystery, but it made it all too easy to hate him in return.

The Cullens in themselves were not too bad, and as I was left to myself, I managed to get along well with them, aside from Edward of course. However that unease and the eerie familiarity that I had with this family; the sense that I knew them, and shouldn't be there made life with the Cullens strained. Unfortunately, with all the gifted vampires in the house, this feeling was brought out into the open.

After all, with a psychic, a mind reader, and an empath, was it any wonder that there were no secrets in the Cullen family?

Well… maybe one.

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	17. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N: Third chapter in two days! Making up for lost time, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter. The secret is pretty much revealed in this chapter, just not to Jamie. Please review, it keeps me inspired.**

**Chapter Fifteen-**

The Cullens were a family that held no secrets. They shared everything and knew everything about one another. That fact in itself would be enough to make any sane person go crazy. However this only seemed to bring the family closer together. I, however, was not a Cullen. Not only did I not feel any connection with this family, but it was obvious that although they did not have secrets amongst themselves, there was certainly one being kept from me.

I had just returned from hunting with Emmett and Jasper, which was one of the few occasions that we actually spent any time together, and as usual, Jasper left my side immediately when the house came into view. It didn't bother me as much as it should have, it had become a routine.

I stopped my progress near the edge of the forest and sat down against a tree, causing Emmett to look at me with confusion.

"Aren't you going inside?" I shook my head and he sighed, sitting down next to me. "You shouldn't be offended by Jasper's behavior. He is just feeling guilty that he couldn't control himself."

"I'm not offended." I said honestly before we lapsed into silence. I wondered why he didn't just go inside and find Rosalie. I'm sure he would have more fun with her.

"You don't like it here do you?" Why did he care? No one in this family cared whether or not I wanted to be here. It was just assumed that I would stay.

"Look, I'm sure you are a nice family and all, but I don't fit in with you." I hedged, not really wanting to answer the question. It was bad enough that everyone knew I was uncomfortable without me actually having to admit it.

"You could if you tried." Emmett answered. I was about to reply when we heard a loud crash from inside the house. We ran in to see the lamp shattered on the ground and an Alice sized hole in the wall. Jasper and Edward stood there for less than a second before Jasper lunged and Edward and they began fighting, breaking the coffee table in the process.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Emmett cried, attempting to pull his brothers apart. I stood there awkwardly in the doorway as Rosalie checked to see if Alice was okay before turning back and watching the fight.

"Its her fault!" Edward snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at me.

I stood there shocked. _What the hell did I do?!_ I hadn't even been in the house since we got back from hunting. Emmett, who had gotten a hold on Jasper, was struggling to keep him from attacking Edward.

"Edward!" Alice hissed, obviously not injured from her trip through the wall.

"No! If it wasn't for _her_ than we wouldn't be stuck in this house and we would be able to find-" Rosalie cut him off before he could finish.

"She's dead Edward! Get that through your thick skull! You saw the casket and its your own fault!"

"Not helping Rose." Alice said, but Rosalie would not be interrupted.

"If you hadn't left than maybe she would be with you at the moment, but you did and now she is six feet underground!" Rosalie snapped. I couldn't help but wonder what they were talking about. Who had Edward left and why was she dead?

"She's alive!" He snarled, taking a step towards Rosalie. "You saw her! We all did!"

"I'm not so sure anymore." Alice said quietly, causing Edward's head to snap in her direction. "I haven't had any visions of her, and I've been looking Edward."

"I don't care! I know she's still alive!" He was shaking now and I watched with growing curiosity as his posture relaxed and his shoulders slumped forward. "She has to be."

The room fell silent and while Edward attempted to compose himself, Emmett released Jasper, who was by Alice's side in an instant and checking to see if his brother had done any damage.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably and everyone's head turned in my direction as if they had noticed me for the first time.

"Oh! Hey J." J was the name that the Alice had given me, seeing as how it was the letter inscribed on the locket they had found the night I was changed. "How much did you hear?"

I ignored her question and asked one of my own. "Who were you talking about and why is it my fault that she's dead?" Edward glared at me before running up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door. A moment later the sounds of Lincoln Park filled the house and Rosalie groaned.

"Not again!" She grabbed Emmett's hand and led him up to their room, doing things that I did not wish to know.

I looked expectantly at Alice, not bothering to ask Jasper, and waited for an explanation.

"Its not important J." I opened my mouth to protest, but she had already left, Jasper following close behind.

I stood there in the destroyed living room, knowing that when Esme came home there would be hell to pay, and went over the argument that I had just overheard. There was something that this family is keeping from me, something that they didn't want me to know. This girl that they had been fighting about, she had somehow played an important role in Edward's life and was perhaps the reason that he was so bitter. But the one thing that stuck in my head was this.

The Cullens had a secret.

One that I fully intended on finding out.

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	18. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N: Wow! Four chapters in two days, when writer's block left, inspiration has come for a visit! Do you love me or what? Okay, I'm done with my happy dance. I have it plotted out and everything! I hope you like the chapter, although it is short.**

**Chapter Sixteen-**

Images

This was all that I had recovered from my human life.

Plain, old, boring, repetitive, images.

At least, that's what Edward thought.

There was one image that I treasured, above those few others that I could recall, and I did my best to make sure that Edward didn't see it. He could laugh at my other memories, but this one was untouchable and if he even thought about making fun I would rip his arm off myself.

I'm not sure if it was even a true memory or my past life, but I clung to it with all I had.

The image was of an angel. She had long mahogany hair and golden eyes. She may have been a vampire, but the word angel would always pop into my mind when I saw her. It was after I had recovered this memory; if I can call it such, that things began to look up for me. As if I knew that I had my own guardian angel watching over me.

I wasn't the only one to notice the difference.

My change in attitude affected my interactions with the Cullens as well. Not drastically, mind you, but I spoke more with Rosalie, who now referred to me as J. and the Jasper didn't leave the room whenever I entered. I spoke more with Alice, who didn't seem so bad after I had given her a chance, but things with Edward only became worse. Apparently Mr. Cullen has a God complex and does not like to be blocked from others minds, which was exactly what I had learned to do, courtesy of Alice.

After all, if the Cullens could have a secret, than I could as well.

That was the kind of thinking that got me into trouble.

XXX

It was sunny outside and as Carlisle could not go to work, the family had decided to go out hunting. I had gained enough control that I did not have to be watched at every moment and after finishing three dears and draining a bear, I was satisfied enough to head back to the house. I spent the next hour in Jasper's study, reading one of his Civil War books, attempting to find what was so interesting, and failing miserably. I hadn't expected anyone to be in the house and was surprised when I heard a soft music playing downstairs.

I placed the book back on the shelf and carefully made my way downstairs to find the source of the music. Edward sat at the baby grand piano, which I hadn't heard being played since my arrival. I stood there at the bottom of the stairs and listened as a familiar song played out before me. I couldn't place it, but I had heard the music before, a lullaby that remained unnamed.

As I stood there an image flashed into my mind- although this time I was sure it was a memory. It was of a small girl lying in a pink bed, with the angel that I had seen before bending down and kissing her forehead before standing up and climbing out the open window.

I was jerked back to reality when the music ceased playing and I found myself staring into the black eyes of Edward Cullen. I opened my mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"How long were you standing there?" He questioned harshly and I was surprised that he hadn't noticed me before.

"What was that song you were playing?" I countered.

"That's none of your business." He answered, but I couldn't leave it at that.

"I've heard that song before." I whispered, more to myself than to him. Where had I heard it?

"That's impossible." He stated darkly. "There is no way that _you_ would have heard that song. I wrote it for-" He stopped himself from saying more.

"For who?" I questioned, not bothering to hide my curiosity. _Was it for that girl?_

"I don't have to answer anything." Edward said stiffly, rising from the piano and making a move to leave. I stepped in front of him.

"Why won't you tell me anything? I thought there were no secrets in the Cullen house?" I was baiting him and he knew it.

"Then why is it you block your mind?" He had me there, I had my own secrets as well. "If you had nothing to hide than you wouldn't keep secrets from us. I'll make a deal with you, when you decide to tell us yours, then I will tell you mine." He was bluffing. He would no sooner tell me anything than I would him.

I narrowed my eyes and glared up at him. If he wanted to do it the hard way then we would, but whether he told me or not, I would find out.

"I'd like to see you try." He challenged. _You will._

I don't know how long we stood there glaring at one another, but it was broken when the rest of the Cullens burst through the front door, with a frightened Alice.

This couldn't be good.

"If you guys will quit fighting, we have bigger problems at the moment."

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	19. Chapter Seventeen

**A/N: I know this is short, but it needed to be. I think the next one will reveal what most of you have been wondering for quite some time... Where is Bella? Enjoy the chapter**

**Chapter Seventeen-**

Alice and the rest of the Cullens moved swiftly into the living room and seated themselves with their mates, while I opted to sit on the floor and Edward took the love seat.

"What do you mean we have bigger problems, Alice?" Edward questioned once we were all situated. I wondered why he hadn't known already, seeing as how he could read her mind, but then thought that she must have been blocking him. I looked at Alice expectantly, but she her answer only served to confuse me more.

"It seems that we should be expecting some visitors." She answered stoically. I wondered why the rest of the family seemed to take this news so seriously and I waited for Alice to continue only to be disappointed. I glanced to Edward and saw that his face was deadly calm. So _he_ knew what she meant. Stupid mind reading vampire.

"What business do they have here?" He snapped. It was times like this that made me wish I had a power; it would have been helpful if I was able to understand what the hell was going on.

"I don't know, I only saw their arrival." Alice's face took on a pout and her eyes narrowed as she answered him sullenly. I didn't have to be a mind reader to know that she was obviously frustrated that she couldn't see more.

"Whose arrival?" I questioned, but was ignored when Carlisle spoke up.

"I'm not sure we have anything to worry about. After all, we haven't violated any of their laws." He reasoned.

"But then why would they come here?" Jasper asked, before glancing in my direction.

"A visit?" Esme suggested. Edward snorted.

"The Volturi don't make social calls Esme." I sat there confused as everyone discussed the visitors, which no one seemed happy to see. All I wanted to know was _who_ was coming.

"The Volturi?" I questioned and Carlisle turned to me. _Finally!_

"They are sort of like the rulers of the vampire world. They enforce the laws which keep our existence hidden from the humans." He explained.

"If that's all then why is everyone so worried?" It wouldn't make sense for them to be so frightened if they had done nothing wrong.

"They aren't exactly friendly J." Alice answered. "They wouldn't hesitate to kill you if you happened to cross them."

"You never get the Volturi angry." Emmett muttered darkly causing me to cringe in fear.

"How long until they arrive?" Rosalie asked.

"They should be here in half an hour." Alice said after a moment of thought.

"How many are we expecting?" Esme inquired. I could almost see her switching into hostess mode. If the situation weren't so frightening I might have laughed.

"I think the real question is _who_ are we expecting." Rosalie prodded.

"There are only three of them. Felix, Demetri, and… Jane." She seemed reluctant to say the last name and when she did the Cullens flinched.

"I don't understand. That's good isn't it? If there are only three of them don't we overpower them?" I questioned, not quite understanding what was so frightening about this Jane.

"No one overpowers the Volturi." Edward stated. "As for Jane- you'll see soon enough." He cringed.

We all sat there in silence, lost in our thoughts. I wondered why everyone was so frightened of Jane, before coming to the conclusion that she must be very powerful to instill so much fear in this family. I couldn't help but glance at the clock as it ticked anxiously away, each second bringing us a moment closer to our visitors.

I must have jumped about a foot in the air when the clock chimed and there was a knock at the door. The rest of the Cullens stood up gracefully and Alice pulled me to my feet before we moved towards the door. I couldn't see what they looked like when Carlisle greeted them, but I heard an almost childlike voice greet him in return before he stepped aside and allowed them entrance.

Three hooded figures glided past me and took their seats in the living room. The Cullens and I followed closely behind and seated ourselves opposite them. We sat there in silence for a moment before Carlisle spoke.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Emmett snorted.

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	20. Chapter Eighteen

**A/N: IMPORTANT!**

**It seems that there is some confusion so I would like to clear this up. Bella is _not_ friends with Jacob, remember this is before she started hanging out with him, and the Volturi do not know about the Cullens and Bella's past, seeing as how she never went to Volterra. Okay, now about Jamie. Some of you have pointed out how she and Edward don't like each other- well that's obvious. He resents her because they can no longer track Bella while they have a newborn, and Jamie has that instinctual feeling that she should hate him. As for her behavior, she is a fourteen year old newborn who cannot remember her past and is dumped into a house full of strangers who make her feel uncomfortable. That's why she doesn't exactly feel happy with this family.**

**As for this chapter, well its been one you guys have been waiting for, for a long time. Second only to Bella's return, so without further ado, I give you Chapter Eighteen of Remember to Forget.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Eighteen-**

The smallest of the three figures lowered her cloak to reveal a small, almost cherub-like girl. Her lips were set in a frown and she had a look of mild disinterest on her face. What surprised me most were her eyes. They were a deep crimson red as my own, although I had a feeling that it was for slightly different reasons. She carefully moved her eyes over everyone in the room, as if she were studying them. When they landed on me, she took on a slightly confused look.

"You have a newborn." She stated simply. I nodded reluctantly and Jasper stiffened beside Alice. She glanced at him quickly and then back at me before her eyes went back to their original disinterest and she returned her attention to Carlisle.

"We would not be here if it wasn't for Aro's orders." She stated boredly. "He told us that since we would be in the area that we should stop by and visit the Cullens."

"If you don't mind my asking, why was it that you were in the area?" Carlisle inquired. "No trouble I hope." I had a feeling that if there was any trouble, they could have taken care of it without a hitch.

"None at all." Jane pouted in disappointment. I found it strange that she would have preferred to be in a fight, giving her childlike appearance. "It was just a matter of interest for Aro and he wanted to have us check it out."

"And what was it that had my old friend so curious?" I stared at Carlisle in disbelief. Old _friend_? This was news to me.

"There is a new vegetarian coven." Jane spat the word vegetarian as if it left a foul taste on her mouth.

This caught Carlisle's attention and he leaned forward slightly in his chair as he waited for Jane to continue. "There are eight or so in the coven, it is rather large, which is why is caught his interest. He thought that they might be as intriguing as he finds you." The one named Felix snorted beside her.

"Don't you mean he saw them as a threat?" Edward countered and Jane snapped her head in his direction.

"No one is a threat to the Volturi. Need I remind you of that Mr. Cullen?" Her smile was sickeningly sweet and I saw Edward flinch slightly. When he did not answer her smile became a smirk. "I thought not."

"I was not aware of another vegetarian coven in existence." Carlisle continued after a warning glance to Edward. I smiled inwardly.

"There wasn't." She replied sourly. Her brows were furrowed in frustration and it reminded me of a child who had been denied a treat. I held back my laughter, but I couldn't hide the smile that crept onto my face.

Jane said no more on the subject, although I could tell Carlisle was yearning for more information. Instead she returned her attention to me and I froze under her gaze. I had a feeling that I did not want to have her angry with me, although I wasn't so sure she might not harm me just for the fun of it.

"I thought that you did not drink from humans." She mused, not taking her eyes off of me.

"We do not." Esme answered.

"Then why is she here? Is she his mate?" She nodded her head in Edward's direction and I made a face as Edward scoffed. Carlisle shot us another warning glance as he answered Jane.

"No, there was an accident." Jasper cringed, which did not escape Jane and she nodded her head although it was obvious that she did not understand why they didn't kill me if they didn't want me. _Good luck with that! I've been wondering the same thing._ Edward glanced over at me and for the first time looked at me with something other than anger, but I wasn't sure if I preferred that to his pity.

I didn't want anyone's pity.

It wouldn't help anyone and it wouldn't change a thing. I would still be unable to remember my past and I would be still be living with a family that gave me an uneasy feeling of familiarity. Feeling sorry for myself wouldn't change that anymore than someone pitying me would, and I would prefer anger any day.

I was brought from my thoughts when Carlisle began questioning our guests once again on the new coven.

"You said that there wasn't another vegetarian coven in existence. I don't understand how such a large coven could appear out of nowhere, and it doesn't make sense that they are all newborns."

"It doesn't make sense does it?" Jane scowled. "Why would seven vampire males suddenly decide to change their habits? Especially to lower themselves so much as to drink from animals." The Cullens stiffened at her jibe, but didn't respond.

"I thought you said there were eight?" Alice questioned and Jane's scowl deepened.

"There are. The last one is female and apparently the reason that they switched."

"It was a pity seeing as how they were all so talented." Felix said, startling me. I had almost forgot that there were two others in the room. "One of them is very much like you," he said nodding to Jasper. "I believe his name was Daniel."

Daniel.

The name struck a cord with me. I had heard it somewhere before, and I knew that it wasn't in reference to a human. He continued speaking and I pushed away the thought for now.

"Aro would call it a waste, to have so much talent and no inclination to use it." He shook his head and smiled darkly from beneath his hood.

"To listen to that female is a pathetic sign of weakness." The one named Demetri muttered acerbically. Felix let out a biting laugh.

"If I remember correctly, you were very interested in Miss Isabella Swan." Everyone's heads snapped up so fast that I was sure if we had been human we would have had whiplash.

Now I _know_ I have heard that name before. Before I could open my mouth to question him, Edward beat me to it.

"What?" Edward demanded, jumping up from his seat and unconsciously taking a step towards Felix. The others had stood up as well and I glanced between the two parties while trying to place where I had heard the name.

"That was her name, or Bella as she preferred. Angry little thing that one, even scared Demetri." He continued, but I stopped listening after Bella.

Bella.

Hundreds of memories came flooding to me all at once and I had to hold on to the arm of the chair to steady myself.

My angel was out there and I was no longer alone.

My angel was out there and now I remembered.

Everything made sense now. The uncomfortable feeling that I had whenever the Cullens were around. The unreasonable anger I felt towards Edward. Why I knew that I didn't belong here.

Because I was near those who had hurt her, my best friend, my angel; I felt rage building up inside of me; they had taken me away from her, they had taken away my life. Everyone was now looking at me, although Edward's eyes flashed with annoyance, and I realized that I had been growling, but I didn't bother to check myself. I shouldn't be here with these people.

Alice took a step towards me, her voice was worried as she tried to find out what was wrong. "J. Are you all right?"

I snarled as she attempted to touch me and I backed up slowly away from the _Cullens_. "Don't. Touch. Me."

"What's wrong with you J.?" I was sure my eyes were pitch black. I ignored her question and turned back to Felix.

"Where. Is. She?" I bit out each word harshly. "Where is Bella?" I demanded when he didn't answer.

"The coven is currently on the move." Jane said as she pulled her cloak over her head. "Their whereabouts are unknown at the moment." She turned to her companions, her expression back to one of disinterest. "We have fulfilled Aro's request and I have no desire to remain with the human huggers." She nodded her head in Carlisle's direction and left without another word.

When they were out, Edward began pacing agitatedly, while the other Cullens stared at me in shock.

"You left her." I whispered angrily. Edward stopped his pacing and looked at me with shock.

"What are you talking about?" He demanded although he knew Damn well what I was talking about.

"You left her!" I snapped. "You left her broken in the forest, you left her to die!

"You don't know anything about that!" He growled, not bothering to question how I knew.

"J.-" Alice began but I cut her off.

"Don't call me that!" I hissed. "It's Jamie, and I don't have to answer anything! You left her!" I accused

The room was silent while Carlisle regarded me for a moment before speaking.

"Do you remember?" I nodded stiffly.

"You took me away from my angel and brought me to this hell." I snapped, glancing sideways at the door. I couldn't stay here any longer, not now that I knew. Without another thought about where I might go, I was out the door and running through the forest, ignoring Alice's calls behind me.

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	21. Chapter Nineteen

_A/N: I'm really sorry about the wait, but school work makes it tough too write, don't worry though because there's only four weeks left of school before summer ;). This chapter was hard to write, but I finally finished. Its the return of Bella's POV for all those who have been waiting for it_

_Enjoy the chapter! R&R!_

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen-**

So close.

Their scent permeated the air, the surrounding forest filled with the familiar smells of my old family. I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt, that it didn't bring back painful memories, but none of that mattered now.

Jamie was dead and it was all their fault.

For the past seven months we've been searching for them, running into a few complications on the way. At times I felt as if I would crack under all of the stress, but my brothers were there to help me through it.

They were my family now.

The Volturi's visit had taxed all of us and Jane's presence filled my brothers with unease. Personally, it was Demetri that I detested the most. He made me feel as if I were a piece of meat to be ogled at. I wasn't the only one who had a problem with that. I believe that was the first time the Volturi have ever been intimidated; my brothers could be overprotective if they wanted to.

Another complication.

They hadn't taken the news too well when I told them my story- the whole story that is. Anthony knocked over a few trees in his rage while the others were hardly any better. I had thought that telling them would have complicated everything more than it already was. However, the opposite effect had brought our family closer together and if anything they were more determined than before to help me find the Cullens.

And now, that we were so close to our goal, to avenge Jamie- my stupid heart decided to get involved. No matter how much I may hate them, the truth will always remain that I love them.

Now him that is a different matter entirely.

"We're getting closer." I called over my shoulder to my brothers.

"Are you sure you're ready for this Bella?" Christopher asked from beside me as I slowed my pace to match theirs.

Was I ready?

I had been asking myself the same question. Was I ready to face them? My old family? My past? I thought I had been, but now that we were near, I wasn't so sure. Although it shouldn't matter how they react to my presence because this wasn't a social visit.

I was coming to fight.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He nodded his head and we said no more.

We were running purely on instinct. Like hounds following the scent of a fox in the hunt, we were relying on our senses to lead us towards the Cullen's home. The trees were a blur as the forest flew by. Their scent was becoming stronger with each step we took and I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to face them. To face him.

"Wait!"

The distressed voice came from somewhere to the left of us and the face of whom it belonged came to my mind almost instantly.

Alice.

My steps faltered and for the first time since my change, I tripped.

"Oomph." I mumbled as I skidded a few feet forward in the dirt. Anthony snickered quietly while helping me up to my feet. My other brothers had managed to stop more gracefully than I and were now looking at me for instructions.

I dusted myself off and turned towards the direction of her voice, motioning for my brothers to remain silent and to follow me. We stalked silently through the trees until a clearing came into view and I stopped abruptly behind the bushes when I heard their voices chime out like bells into the night.

"Look what you did!" Alice cried hysterically. We weren't close enough to see them, but I could picture her with one hand on her hip pointing an accusatory finger in the direction of whoever managed to upset her.

"Alice-" Jasper began, perhaps attempting to calm his wife.

"No! Don't try to defend him, this is all his fault!" She hissed. "If he hadn't of blown up at her she wouldn't have run away!" I heard someone let out a loud sigh but I wasn't sure who it was.

"Well I for one am glad she's gone." Came the irritated reply that could only belong to Rosalie.

"How can you say that?" Alice cried. "She's been with us for months and if anything else she is a key link to finding-" Whatever Alice was about to say was cut off by Carlisle's commanding voice.

"Enough!" There was a long silence in which I imagined everyone tried to reign in their shocked expressions. Carlisle was always calm. "Now, we need to decide where to go from here. She is obviously upset and we can do nothing if we don't find her, because I find it highly unlikely that she will come back on her own."

"I'll do it." I froze when I heard his voice. Daniel placed a calming hand on my shoulder.

Rosalie snorted. "Like she will consent to going anywhere with you Edward. Out of everyone she hates you the most."

"It doesn't matter; I'm going." I heard a quick rushing sound and then silence. I assumed he had left and I let out an inaudible breath I didn't know I'd been holding. I clearly wasn't ready to face him.

"Well that's just great!" Rosalie huffed.

"Maybe he'll find her, Rose." Emmett's boisterous voice was unusually soft as he spoke to his wife.

"And then what Em? They _hate_ each other; hell she hates all of us! I don't blame her! I would hate us too if I had been ripped away from my life by a ravenous vampire just because I had nice smelling blood!" My head snapped up and if they hadn't had my complete attention before, they did now.

"Rosalie." Alice growled in warning.

She ignored her sister. "No Alice, Jamie has every right to hate us, especially if she really had known Bella!"

I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my mouth and everything was suddenly silent.

"Who's there?" Emmett demanded.

"Great job." Matthew sighed but I ignored him. Jamie was alive.

"Stall them." I whispered to my brothers as I began to move away from the clearing and back towards the forest. If I could catch Edward's scent…

"What about the fight?" Anthony questioned.

"Change of plans!" I called over my shoulder as I followed Edward's scent and left my brothers to deal with the Cullens. That could be an awkward conversation.

I couldn't wrap my mind around it. My little sister was alive! The possibility hadn't even occurred to me that she might have been changed. It wasn't what I had wanted for her, but that doesn't matter at the moment. I would deal with the Cullens later. I raced through the trees, following Edward's scent, which was accompanied by a slightly familiar smell.

A loud crash from somewhere ahead of me followed by yelling made me push my legs faster. I caught snippets of their argument as I came closer.

"What? Now that you know I knew Bella I'm suddenly worth your time?" The voice sounded like wind chimes, but there was no denying that it was Jamie's.

"That's not what I meant!" Edward shouted and I barely repressed a growl. If he had hurt her…

"It's exactly what you meant! For the past seven months you've been nothing short of an Ass to me, glaring whenever I entered a room mocking everything I say, but now that you find out Bella spent time with me, we are suddenly best friends? Well forget it! I'm not telling you anything!"

"You don't understand!" He roared and I pushed myself as fast as I could.

"I understand perfectly! You left her! You left heartbroken and miserable, but I won't let you hurt her anymore!" Jamie's voice was deadly and I prayed that they wouldn't fight.

I was at the edge of another clearing when I caught sight of her. She looked more mature than when I had last seen her, although that was due to the change, but other than her furious black eyes, she looked like she always had. Although this time, she was deadly. She was crouched as if she were ready to pounce at any moment and snarls were ripping from her throat.

_They_ had done this to her. I hadn't wanted her to have to live like this and because of _them_ she was taken from her father, from her friends, and from me. They would pay for this, but for the moment, I just wanted to see my best friend.

I took a step forward into the clearing. "Jamie?"

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	22. Chapter Twenty

_A/N: I felt inspired so here is the next chapter. Thanks to all those who have been reviewing!_

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-**

Time had stopped.

The world halted on its axis and there was silence.

They stood there staring at me, silent and gaping. No one spoke, no one moved, and I held my breath so as not to disrupt the silence. Jamie and Edward looked like deer caught in headlights and it seemed as if I was the oncoming truck.

I'm not sure how long we stood there frozen in place. It seemed like hours, although it was probably only a few moments. How long we would have continued to stare at each other stupidly is undetermined, because we were all brought back to reality by a distant roar.

The next few events were a blur.

Edward took one step towards me before being slammed backwards into a tree, causing it to snap in half and hit the forest floor with a resounding thud that shook the earth beneath our feet. Before I could react I was knocked to the ground, Jamie's shaking form gripping to me tightly. Her shoulders were wracked with sobs and there was nothing I could do but hold her.

"I'm so s-sorry Bella!" She cried, her voice cracking on the last word.

"Shhh." I whispered trying to soothe her. "You have no reason to be sorry Jamie."

She shook her head and began to sob more violently. I didn't say anymore, but continued to hold her as she continued crying. She had been so alone these past few months, so frightened. It doesn't matter if the Cullen's were good people; they obviously hadn't treated her right from the conversation I had overheard. She shouldn't have had to go through this; for heaven's sakes she was still a child!

I was vaguely aware of Edward's presence, but I couldn't have cared less at the moment. He was one of the ones that had hurt her, that brought her into this life, and he was one of the ones that made her cry. I could forgive him for not loving me, because you can't force someone to feel something they don't, but I couldn't forgive him for hurting my family.

"Bella," He whispered, but I shot him a glare that silenced him.

There was a few more moments of silence that were only disturbed by Jamie's cries until my ears picked up on the treading of feet on the dirt and my brothers came into view, followed closely by the Cullens. I could hear several sharp intakes of breath, but I didn't look towards them. Jamie's sobs began to die down until she was silent. No one spoke as I stood up, Jamie refusing to let me go, as if she thought I would disappear if she did.

We were all gathered in a clearing, my brothers standing behind me and the Cullens about ten feet away slightly behind Edward. It almost seemed as if a line had been drawn and no one was allowed to cross. I rested my head on top of Jamie's, my eyes taking in the Cullens.

They all had the same expression- a mixture of shock and disbelief. Those were understandable, I'm sure I was the last person they ever expected to see again. We stared at one another in silence; I can only imagine what thoughts were going through everyone's head at the moment.

"Bella?" It was Carlisle who had spoken. "Is that really you?"

I nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Alice let out a squeal that caused everyone to wince. "Oh my God! You really are alive!" She began to come forward and I snarled. A look of pain and hurt took over her pixie features and she looked as if I had just slapped her.

"What on earth was that for?" Rosalie snapped and my glare turned to her.

"This isn't a reunion of any kind!" I barked. "I'm not here to make nice with you and I'm not here to catch up." I was here for Jamie and no one else.

"Then why did you come?" Alice asked quietly.

I looked from each of their faces, ones that had once cared for me, ones that I had once considered my family, before my eyes met Edward's. "I'm not here for any of you." My voice was cold and detached. Edward winced and I momentarily wondered why, but pushed the thought away. "I came here for Jamie. Why she was even near you I don't know and I'm not sure if I want to. Why she is a vampire and no longer human, why it was _her_ that you had chosen I don't know." I didn't want to know the answers to those questions, because that would mean I would have to continue speaking with them and I'm not sure I was capable of doing that much longer. The emotions that just seeing them brought back were too much for me to bear and I'll be damned if I broke down in front of them!

"I think we should be leaving now Bells." Matthew said and I nodded. We began to walk away, not bothering to say goodbye to the Cullens, when Edward's voice stopped me.

"So that's it?" His voice had a hard edge to it, but I could still hear the desperate undertones. "You're just going to leave?"

I turned my head slightly to the side, catching sight of him in the corner of my eye. "That's it." I took a few more steps forward towards my brothers, but Edward's furious roar stopped us all in our tracks.

"You can't do that!"

I felt my eyes darken as I spun around to face him. "I can do whatever the hell I want to Edward! You have no say in what I do!"

"I won't let you go!" He growled. His hands were clenched tightly into fists and he was shaking with rage.

I moved to step forward, but Jamie held onto my arm, refusing to let me go. "Let go Jamie." I said my voice deadly calm. She still didn't release me, but Matthew pried her arms away, allowing me to move towards Edward.

"I'm not a piece of property!" I hissed. "I can go wherever I want!"

"No." He growled. "You can't leave. We'll never see you again!"

"So?" I yelled, ignoring the eyes of both our families on us. "What do you care?"

His posture was rigid and he let out an irritated breath, his thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of his nose. When he didn't reply I became impatient.

"Well?" I snapped.

"I just do!" He shot back. It was another lie; just like everything he had ever told me. Didn't he know when to quit? He didn't need to pretend anymore! I didn't need to be lied to!

"Tell the truth Edward, I don't need anymore of your lies!" His eyes narrowed into slits and he took another step forward.

"I'm not lying! You can't leave me!" He threw his hands in the air as if to emphasize his point.

"Why!?" This was getting us nowhere and I was vaguely aware of our families watching our spectacle, but I didn't care, he insisted on lying to me. "Why can't I leave you? Its no different than when you left me!"

"Damn it Bella!" He yelled.

"I'm sure you have plenty here to _distract_ you!" I hissed, using his words from that day in the forest.

"Its not what you think!"

"Answer the question Edward!" I felt hysterical, out of control; I had kept everything bottled inside me for so long that it's taking the first opportunity to escape. Why couldn't I leave, why couldn't he just let me leave and let me forget what I didn't want to remember. "Why can't I leave?"

His shoulders dropped and his face took on a heartbroken expression. "You just can't." He choked out.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, closing my eyes to avoid the sadness in his eyes. "That's just not good enough."

Without another word I turned back towards my family and we left.

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_I'm not sure when the next update will be, but review if you have any suggestions on what you want to happen next because although I know where this is going, I may need a few ideas to help me along ;)._

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	23. Chapter Twenty One

_A/N: Thank you to all of those who reviewed telling me what you would have preferred. Edward's POV won and I'm surprised at quickly I was able to write this. So here is the update I promised in _**EPOV**_._

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**Chapter Twenty-One -**

Bella was a vampire.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

She was supposed to live out her life; get married, have children- grandchildren and after a _very_ long life, she would die.

I would have followed.

But never was she to become a vampire; I didn't want that for her. I left her **for her**. I went through hell; I tore my heart out and left it the day we left Forks. I tracked Victoria for her, only to find out not even a month later that she was dead. Bella could survive encounters with deranged homicidal vampires bent on sucking her dry; she had survived James and eluded Victoria, to die in a car accident. The irony did not escape me.

Only Bella.

That was the day I had died. After Rosalie's call I had planned on going straight to Volterra, but Alice and Emmett intercepted me and brought me back to where it had all started.

Forks.

Once a place that held my life, was only filled with painful memories. No one knew of our return- we wouldn't be staying long. Our appearance at the funeral came as a great shock to those who attended. I was too distraught to pay attention to any of their thoughts, so I couldn't recall specific words. It was pointless, because she was gone. My family would be moving to Denali after the funeral, while I waited for the time that I could run away to Italy.

As we had stood there, listening to Charlie choke back tears as he talked about his daughter, the wind had picked up and I was engulfed in the smell of freesias. I almost collapsed; it was too cruel that I could smell her, but would never again be able to hold my Bella.

_Do you smell that?_ It was Alice; her thoughts managing to break through the pain in my momentary distraction.

I didn't have the chance to answer, the chance to hope, before her beautiful voice met my ears.

"Goodbye Charlie."

All of my family heard it and we managed to turn towards the voice in time to catch Bella's figure turning around and disappearing.

I was frozen.

I didn't dare hope.

It was Rosalie who broke the silence.

"Did you see…?" She trailed off, not being able to complete the sentence, although her thoughts were screaming at me. _That can't be her! She's dead, but then who…?_

Alice's were a mixture of shock and joy. _She's alive! But why didn't I see this?_

I didn't wait to listen to the others before I took off. Too fast.

I didn't care.

I searched the area that I had seen her; the last place she had stood, but found nothing. The thought that she may be gone forever would not be accepted. She was alive and even if it took me all of eternity, I would find her.

For seven years we searched the Olympic Peninsula; her scent was everywhere and it wasn't until recently that Jasper caught a fresh trail near Astoria, Oregon. It was the perfect place for a vampire to live and it seemed that we had found her. Jasper followed Bella's scent to a small house in a small neighborhood near the forest.

We didn't think twice about entering.

Her scent was everywhere and I knew that we had found her. She just wasn't in the room. In her place was a human girl; her eyes wide with fright and something akin to anger.

"You said she was here!" I hissed at Jasper.

_And she was!_ "She has been here I know it!"

"Then where is she?" I didn't want to wait any longer. I missed her too much to wait. She was so close!

_Calm down!_ "She will be back. She has been here frequently." He sounded so sure that I had to believe him and I refused to give up.

Emmett glanced towards the human. "What do we do about her?" _I don't want to hurt her, dude._

"Leave her be, we won't be back anyways." Not after we found Bella. "No one will believe her."

I turned my attention back to Jasper. "I need you to figure out how long it's been since she was here."

If only I had known then what the repercussions of that question would have been, than I wouldn't have asked him. Jasper had been distracted before, but once he smelled her he reacted too quickly for us to respond.

It was too late to save the girl. She would be one of us.

When she had awakened from the change, she didn't believe us and couldn't remember anything from her human life, but she kept repeating that she hated us and according to her thoughts, it was an illogical feeling.

She seemed to have a particular hatred of me, but that was fine with me. I wanted nothing to do with her. Because of that girl, I couldn't continue looking for Bella.

It was because of her that I was alone.

I know now that I was being unfair to her; that it wasn't her fault and if anything I was to blame. But at the time I didn't care.

At the time I thought Bella loved me.

Then the Volturi came and all hell broke loose.

To think that the girl who I had spent the better part of three months hating, had known my Bella, had been spent time with her, only served to deepen my hatred. It wasn't fair that I had spent seven years searching and Jamie had been with her the entire time.

I know now that I was wrong.

Because I know now that Bella doesn't love me.

How could she? After I had left her, I asked her to move on, I thought that's what I had wanted for her. But knowing that she had was almost as bad as thinking she was dead.

But why would she think I was lying when I told her I cared? I knew she believed me that day in the forest, but how could she? After all the times I had told her that I loved her, it only took one lie for her to believe.

To say that I didn't want her; I was expecting a lightning bolt to strike me dead as I uttered the blackest of blasphemies.

But there was no lightning.

And now she's moved on.

I pleaded with her to stay. I couldn't take it if she left me, not knowing if I would ever see her again. Knowing that she was alive out there, but that I couldn't be with her.

"I'm sorry." She had answered quietly. Her eyes were closed, as if she were disgusted to look at me. "That's just not good enough."

_I_ wasn't good enough.

I had always known that. She had always deserved better, but hearing it from her hurt me more than anything had before.

"_Please Edward!" _ Jasper's desperate thoughts brought me from my reverie and I tried to reign in my emotions. It wasn't enough that I had hurt Bella, but now I was hurting my family.

Maybe I should just leave…

"Don't even think about it Edward!" Alice cried from somewhere downstairs. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair. I couldn't seem to do anything right.

"_Edward? Can I come in?"_ Rosalie's thoughts intruded into my mind.

"No." I answered, turning up my music to drown them out.

The next moment my door was ripped off its hinges and thrown against the wall. Rosalie entered a second later and ignored my growls, as she flicked an invisible speck of dust off her sleeve.

"What the hell, Rose?" I shouted, glaring daggers at her.

"I asked you nicely." She said, glancing over towards my doorway.

"Esme's not going to be happy with you." She just shrugged.

"She'll deal."

"What do you want?" I snapped. I didn't want to talk to anyone, especially not Rosalie.

She looked at me sadly for a moment. "I want my brother back."

"What?" Whatever I had been expecting her to say, it wasn't that. I had expected her yelling at me to suck it up and to snap out of it; I knew she thought I was acting ridiculously.

She huffed. "You heard me." Cue the attitude.

"Well I'm right here." I answered not wishing to continue this discussion.

She shook her head. "You know what I mean!" _Why am I bothering trying to talk to him?_

"I don't know. You never cared before." My answer was directed more towards her thoughts than her words.

"Don't give me that crap! I was trying to be nice!"

"That's an impossibility for you." I stated. Rosalie winced and quickly blocked her thoughts from me. Emmett's growl could be heard throughout the house and Alice's thoughts were screaming at me.

"_That was uncalled for Edward! She really was trying to help!"_

I sighed. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not." She shook her head. "Look, I'm not here for an argument, nor did I come up here for you to insult me." She moved to sit down beside me on the couch.

"I came up here so that I could get my brother back." She continued. "I miss our arguments and I miss having someone to talk cars with." I waited impatiently for her to continue, knowing that this must be hard for her, but wanting to get her out.

"Aside from Esme and Carlisle, I have known you the longest. I saw what you were like before we returned to Forks and although I was never Bella's biggest fan…"

Jasper snorted downstairs.

Rosalie pretended not to hear him. "For someone ungodly reason she made you happy and somewhat easier to live with." She paused for a moment and kept her thoughts blocked from me to keep me from finding out what she was going to say.

"You searched for her for over a century, Edward. She's your soul mate and I regret how I treated her before." She moved her gaze to the window and we sat there for about a minute before she jumped up and faced me, her eyes now furious.

"How the hell could you let her go!?" Her abrupt change stunned me into silence and she began pacing in front of me. "She was right in front of you, within your reach and you just watched her walk away!" She ranted.

I quickly regained my senses and began to defend myself. "She doesn't love me anymore!" I shouted. This was not something that I wanted to argue about.

Rosalie stopped her pacing and glared at me. "That's Bull!"

I rolled my eyes.

"You are acting ridiculous!" _You both are!_ Her thoughts slipped, but I let it go. Bella didn't love me. How could she love a monster like me? Rosalie noticed my inattention and let out a frustrated growl. "Bella and I were never friends, but even _I_ could see how much she loved you." I didn't fail to notice the past tense. She continued. "Everyone could see it but you!"

I opened my mouth to argue but she held up her hand. "I know you knew she loved you, but you always seemed to think it was a passing fancy. I've got a news flash for you, she loved you just as much as you love her!"

I didn't answer.

"If you want to stay up in this room and sulk for the rest of eternity, than that's your choice, but don't expect any sympathy from me!" She snapped, getting closer to the end of her rant. "You will only be harming yourself and this family by doing so!" She paused, taking an unnecessary breath.

"Or you can go after her." She said it as if it were obvious. Didn't she get it?

"Bella doesn't want me." I almost hated my sister for making me say the words.

Rosalie smacked the back of my head. "You idiot!"

"What was that for?" I yelled. She resumed her pacing.

"Of course she still loves you! She will always love you!" I snorted in disbelief and her eyes snapped to mine.

"You left her Edward! Did you honestly expect her to jump into your arms after what she's been through? After thinking that you don't love her?"

I didn't answer. I couldn't deny that I had.

"Men." She hissed under her breath, saying it as one would a curse word.

"You're wrong." I said, shaking my head. Bella couldn't still love me.

"Fine." She snapped. "Don't believe me, but even if she doesn't love you anymore," I winced. "She did once and I bet she could again."

_"Go after her, you idiot!" _With those parting thoughts she left.

For the next few hours, my mind replayed the conversation I had with Rosalie. It would be too much to hope for that Bella still loved me. I wouldn't blame her if she hated me after what I had put her through. The question now was could it be possible for her to love me again? I didn't dare hope for so much, but I wasn't about to give up.

I would fight for her.

I spent the rest of the afternoon replacing my door and wallowing in my own misery, finally deciding that I should at least see my family for a few minutes so that they wouldn't worry too much. Esme's thoughts were in a frenzy and Emmett's were just annoying. As we were sitting in the living room, Alice suddenly froze in Jasper's arms and her eyes clouded over. A few moments later she snapped back into reality and lunged for the remote. She flipped quickly through the stations before she landed on the news.

"_A series of murders in Seattle has police convinced that there is a gang of serial killers loose in the Washington area. People are advised to be on alert…"_

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**Review...**

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	24. Chapter Twenty Two

_A/N: I'm so sorry for the wait! I know this is short, the next one will be longer, I promise! Its nearing the climax of the story soon and I wanted to thank those of you who have stuck with me and been reviewing. I also rewrote the end of the last chapter, because before it had been lacking somewhat. Anyways, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!_

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**Chapter Twenty-Two -**

"_A series of murders in Seattle has police convinced that there is a gang of serial killers loose in the Washington area. People are advised to be on alert…"_

Alice's attention was focused entirely on the screen as the newscaster continued to announce that there have been twenty-six disappearances in the past three months and that the police had no leads as to who might be committing the murders.

"_They have yet to find the bodies to give closure to the grieving families and investigators are baffled by the lack of evidence. Coleen Reynolds is on the scene."_

The screen changed from the newscaster to a small blonde woman standing out on what was presumably a neighborhood street.

"_Thank you Ryan." She began. "I'm here on Kingston Street which was the scene of the latest disappearance." Behind her, a small crowd of people was gathered looking on at the news crew with interest. "It was here that twenty-two year old Bree Bradley disappeared from her home sometime last night. Her husband had been working late and she was left alone when the neighbors heard a crash followed closely by screams…" _Alice reached for the remote and turned off the television.

We sat there is silence, too lost in thought to speak. A vampire was loose in Seattle and was on a killing spree; that much was obvious. From the carelessness of the murders, it was most likely a newborn. One who didn't know the rules and whose creator had abandoned them.

The Volturi wouldn't like this.

Discretion was key in keeping our existence a secret and this was attracting too much attention. The only question is why hadn't the Volturi stepped in before? It was only a matter of time before they would make their move, and whoever was attracting so much attention would pay.

"Is that what I think it is?" Emmett was the one to break the silence.

Alice was the one to answer him. "A vampire is loose in Seattle."

"A newborn." Carlisle said thoughtfully. "Where is his creator?" _No one would be that careless._

"What are we going to do?" Esme's thoughts were focused on the human's family.

Rosalie decided to pipe in. "What do you mean what are we going to do? We aren't going to do anything! This is a matter for the Volturi to handle."

"We can't just allow this to happen!" Alice cried. "This includes us somehow, or else I wouldn't have had a vision about it!" Her thoughts were racing as she tried to think of ways that we would be involved.

Jasper remained silent and unmoving as he continued to stare at the blank television. Images of his past life flew through his mind at a rate that I had trouble catching.

"Jasper?" He glanced up, his expression unreadable and he quickly blocked his thoughts from me.

"Its nothing, Edward." He sighed and ignored the look that I gave him and stood to leave the room. I was about to follow him when his thoughts drifted into my mind.

_Don't follow me Edward; I need some time to think._

I heard the door to his study close and I turned my attention back to my family, vowing silently to speak with him later.

"How on earth would it include us?" Rosalie argued. "We don't live in Forks anymore, this doesn't effect us at all. Let the Volturi handle it, it's their job anyway." Rosalie waved her hand in the air as if brushing away the situation.

"But this has been going on for three months and they have yet to do anything about it! If they had planned on taking any action at all, don't you think they would have done it by now?"

Rosalie remained unfazed. "I still don't see how this is _our_ problem. Must we always play the hero to the humans?" Alice looked like she wanted to strangle her our sister, but Carlisle stepped in.

"You both are right." He began. "However, I do not think it wise to allow this to go unchecked. Alice," he turned to Alice who was glaring daggers at Rosalie's smug smile. "Keep an eye on the situation, if it gets too out of hand and the Volturi don't step in soon then we will have to handle it." Alice nodded her head and when Carlisle's back was turned, stuck out her tongue at Rosalie.

Very Mature.

Rosalie tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and grabbed Emmett's hand, leading him upstairs. I flinched at their thoughts and tried blocking them out.

_Edward?_ Alice's thoughts were concerned.

"Emmett." She smirked and nodded understandingly.

She glanced around the room, her thoughts revealing that she was looking for her husband.

"He's in his study." I answered her unasked question. "He said that he needed some time alone to think." I frowned as I recalled his earlier thoughts.

"Thanks!" She smiled before rushing upstairs, her thoughts focused on Jasper.

I sighed and looked around the empty living room. I was once again the odd man out in this family. My thoughts drifted to Bella and I felt the same emptiness envelope me as I thought of our last meeting. If I hadn't of left, things would have been different and she would still love me, we would still be together.

Her words kept replaying in my mind, tormenting my every thought. It didn't matter that I cared because it wasn't good enough. I wasn't good enough. I never was. It tore me apart to know that she had moved on. Seeing her walk away killed me inside, the hope that I had harbored for seven years was dashed.

Bella still had my heart, whether she wanted it or not. She always would.

As my mind wandered, it came back to the question, how?

How was she changed?

Was it the coven that she was with? Did they change her? If they did, why did they do it? Why did they change their diet for her? Had she found another?

The last one made me growl involuntarily. A wave of anger swept over me at the thought of anyone else touching my Bella. That anger was quickly replaced with despair as I realized that she was no longer _my_ Bella.

I thought back to our meeting in the clearing, trying to recall if any of their thoughts had given anything away as to whether or not she had found a new mate, but I couldn't remember anything of that nature. They were all unsurprisingly similar as they each imagined ways that they would be able to kill me without making Bella upset.

I flinched, knowing that I deserved their hatred. Jamie's thoughts were the loudest of them all. Her relief and joy at finding Bella and her subsequent breakdown made me realize just how poorly I had treated her these past months.

She really was only a child.

And then there was Bella's mind. Silent and mysterious as ever. I hated how she was the only one whose mind I could not hear, yet it was the only one I wished to.

I was interrupted from my reverie by a loud thud and I shook my head to rid my mind of the images of a very naked Emmett out of my mind. No one should ever have to see their _brother_ like that. I caught my reflection in the window and I noticed that my eyes had grown darker. Another thud came from upstairs and I didn't hesitate to run out of the house.

Tonight seemed like the perfect time to hunt.

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**Review.**

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	25. Chapter Twenty Three

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_A/N: I'm so sorry about the wait, but I have had some crap going on in my life right now, but I think things are getting better. I may not update for a bit, finals are in a week and I have to study, so it may be two weeks till the next update, it just depends on my schedule._

_Hope you enjoy the chapter!_

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Interest and hunger.

Fear turns to hate

Predator and prey.

My gaze was locked with his and my eyes followed his movements, watching as his muscles tensed, ready to spring at any moment. My stance shifted and my posture slumped into a crouch. It was now, during the hunt, when my senses were heightened and instincts intensified, when I was most at one with what I was. It was now, when the blood was so close, and so easily attained, that I was the monster from children's nightmares.

My prey was no match for my strength; he knew that this would be his end, but that didn't mean he wouldn't go down without a fight. His weight shifted from his front to his back paws as he readied himself to spring.

We stared at each other for one long moment, the burning in my throat becoming more pronounced as the monster inside of me roared to take what was rightfully mine. A low growl escaped my throat.

He pounced and I avoided him with ease. He hit the ground, landing neatly on his feet, snarling in frustration. I chuckled darkly, knowing that his efforts were useless. He turned around swiftly, his ebony eyes meeting my own. Animals' thoughts were always simple in their design. His instincts told him that he would not win, while the other half of him pictured himself enjoying a very large meal.

He would not win.

The burning turned to fire as he lunged and missed me once again, his scent enveloping my senses. My nostrils flared and my eyes were locked on his neck. The monster demanded satisfaction and at the moment, I was all too willing to give in. My opponent poised himself for another strike and this time, instead of avoiding his massive paws, I pounced.

It was over in a moment.

Sweet relief came in the form of warm liquid, easing its way down my throat and soothing the fire that had been raging not a moment before; calming the monster and banishing him into the back recesses of my mind, dormant, but not dead.

I glanced down at the carcass below me. Once upon a time, I had felt remorse for killing an innocent animal for the purpose of my survival. That was until I realized that it could have been an innocent human.

This animal had just saved a human life.

A gust of wind blew past me, filling my senses with one of the foulest smells I had ever known. My posture stiffened and pinched the bridge of my nose, cursing myself for hunting alone. There would be no point in running now, as it was already too close.

I heard the patter of steps rustling the leaves before I heard its thoughts.

_Ugh! This place reeks of bloodsucker._

My eyes narrowed at the thought and I turned in the direction I expected my unwelcome visitor to make his appearance. Not a moment later, a giant russet colored wolf made an appearance. A growl built up in my throat and his head snapped up to look at me.

His mouth pulled back into a snarl. His thoughts conflicting with his actions as he unconsciously crouched.

_Cool it, Jake!_

My brows furrowed in confusion. He wanted to hurt me, but he was holding himself back? Once more, the voice I heard this time was much different than the one before.

_Remember the mission!_ Another voice sounded.

The Mutt shook his head and his narrowed gaze met my own. He stared at my face for a moment and then shifted towards the dead carcass at my feet. His shoulders seemed to slump in disappointment, but quickly took its protective stance.

_I **can't** hurt him. It's a Cullen._ I didn't like how he sneered the name. _Sam's orders._

Sam? It took me a moment for the name to register in my mind before Sam Uley's image made its appearance. _This_ was one of the pack? I tried to think of a reason that they would show up here, but came up blank.

_But __**he**__ could still attack you! I suggest you control yourself, Jacob. _This voice was more authoritative and I assumed that it was Sam. Jacob's thoughts seemed to be connected with the pack's; it was like they shared one mind.

"Jacob Black?" I assumed. He was, after all, a descendant of Ephraim Black. The "boy" in question turned his attention away from the argument inside of his head and narrowed his eyes, nodding slowly.

_How the hell does he know my name?_

_Edward Cullen is telepathic._ Sam's voice echoed through his mind and mine.

_**Edward **__Cullen?!_

Jacob let out a snarl and his body began shaking with fury, as he seemed to be struggling against himself. His thoughts were screaming profanities at me, demanding that he step forward and kill me, while his body resisted.

As if he were physically incapable.

_What the hell are you doing?!_ This voice was female. My eyes widened with shock; I didn't know it was possible to have a female werewolf.

_You. Killed. Bella._ His thoughts shouted at me, leaving me frozen in shock as an image of Bella curled up on the forest floor, muttering to herself followed closely by another image of her lying in a hospital bed, the word catatonic accompanied the image. The last one was of her red truck, wrapped around a tree with broken glass scattered across the ground.

I swallowed hard as a familiar pain swept through my body. I had hurt Bella, something I had sworn to myself I would never do. This was why Jamie hated me, why Bella didn't love me anymore, why she left. I staggered backwards as I realized just how much I hurt my angel.

_I can't do this, Sam; you should have chosen another messenger!_

Jacob's thoughts regained my attention, temporarily distracting me from the direction my mind had taken.

"What message?" My voice was hoarse, surprising both the Mutt and myself.

_Jacob, you have to tell it to their leader._ Sam's voice left no room for argument.

Another voice snorted. _"Take me to your leader."_ The comment was followed by laughter and a series of mental groans.

_Shut up, Embry._

I waited impatiently for their – conversation- to be finished. Jacob's smell was nauseating and I just wanted to have him relay whatever message he had and then to leave.

_I don't trust them._ Jacob continued, his eyes never leaving mine.

_We need their help, whether you want it or not, Jacob._ I didn't bother hiding the shock that appeared on my face. The pack needed _our_ help? Jacob growled and shook his head. Sam's voice remained undeterred. _If not for us, then for Sophia._

The Mutt's face softened for a moment and after a moment's deliberation consented.

_But I swear if one of them attacks, I won't hesitate to take him out._ His threat was directed at me and I nodded curtly. I knew that one werewolf was no match for seven vampires, but he could seriously harm one of us if he lost control.

"This way." I said, beginning to lead him back towards the house.

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	26. Chapter Twenty Four

_A/N: I wasn't planning on updating this soon but I finished this chapter sooner than expected. To clear up some confusion Sophia is Jacob's imprint, she's not so important, but may appear in later chapters. Remember this is seven years after New Moon and he was never friends with Bella. Thanks to all of you who have been reviewing and I hope you like this chapter!_

_Kaylee1038_

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**Chapter Twenty-Four**

_Disgusting._

The word flew at me from every direction as my family and I were gathered around the window, glaring outside at the overgrown Mutt currently sitting a good twenty feet from the house. His posture was stiff and his eyes never left where we were standing, his thoughts suspicious of our intent. I didn't have to look at their faces to know that they were scrunched up in revulsion. The scent of werewolf permeated the air.

Rosalie's disgust quickly changed to anger and she turned away from the window to face me, her eyes alight with fury.

"Why the hell would you bring that _thing_ here?" She hissed, pointing an accusatory finger out the window and towards Jacob, who was currently scratching his ear with his hind leg. He stopped when he heard Rosalie's insult and a low growl echoed through the clearing.

Emmett stiffened and made a step towards the door, but Carlisle's hand on his shoulder restrained him.

"No."

Emmett's stance didn't relax but he nodded his head in acknowledgment of Carlisle's command. Carlisle turned his attention to me. "What does he need?"

"He wouldn't reveal anything other than that he needed to speak to you. I think they need our help." He looked pensive for a moment before turning to Alice.

"Can you see anything?"

Alice reluctantly tore her eyes away from the window, the grim set of her mouth and her frustrated eyes told him all he needed to know, but she shook her head anyways and resumed glaring at Jacob. As if her visions would become clearer if she stared at him long enough.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." She sighed.

"Have you ever been able to see the wolves?" Esme asked.

Alice shook her head. "But I've never really looked."

There was a momentary silence as everyone stared out the window; their minds racing as they attempted to come up with _any_ reason that the wolves would be here. The only one who seemed calm was Jasper and he had his thoughts blocked from me.

"Jasper?" I didn't bother to hide the frustration in my voice. He had been blocking me for a while now and it was starting to become annoying.

_Stay out of my head, Edward._

I felt an irrational wave of calm and my shoulders slumped involuntarily. I glared at him making it clear that we would talk later and he nodded stiffly as his mind began reciting the generals of the Civil War.

Our exchange didn't go unnoticed by the others, but before anyone else could comment, Carlisle suggested that we not keep our guest waiting any longer. Taking a step outside, the rest of us fell into rank behind him as we slowly made our way towards our unwanted visitor.

Jacob straightened up at our appearance and shifted his stance, ready to defend himself in case we attacked. I mentally scoffed knowing that a lone werewolf was no match for seven vampires.

"Jacob Black?" Carlisle's voice was as collected as his thoughts a stark contrast to the rest of us who were either holding our breath because of the stench or in Rosalie's case, yelling profanities in their head.

Jacob nodded stiffly.

"I assume you are the coven leader." I stated in a monotone, repeating Jacob's thoughts. He refused to change to his human form not trusting us enough to leave himself so vulnerable. "I have a message from Sam. We need you to come back to Forks."

Carlisle's thoughts revealed his surprise, but his face remained the same. "I'm afraid that we will not be able to return to Forks for quite some time. As you can see we have not aged at all since we have left and it wouldn't be prudent for us to return until there is no one left who will be able to recognize us."

"We do not want you to return. There is a matter of upmost importance and we require your assistance." Jacob flinched at the last word. His disgust to be asking for anything from a vampire was obvious.

Emmett's eyebrows rose. "The Pack needs _our _help?" The disbelief in his tone matched with the smug grin that was slowly spreading over my brother's face didn't sit well with the dog.

"Vampires are coming to Forks and there aren't enough of us to take them out." I translated, purposefully leaving out the insults Jacob was currently hurling at Emmett. "We have reason to believe that they are linked with the murders in Seattle."

"How can you be so sure that the vampires are coming to Forks?" Carlisle inquired._ I can't think of any reason they would go there._

An image flashed through Jacob's mind of a raven-haired vampire running through La Push followed closely by three wolves.

"We found one of the bloodsuckers on our territory."

"There have always been vampires passing through; the weather attracts our kind." Carlisle explained, but Jacob persisted.

"This has been the fifth one this month." I relayed. "Our Pack has almost doubled in size meaning that there are more vampires in the area than there should be."

I noticed Jasper flinching from the corner of my eye, frustrating me once more that he was blocking his mind. "Did you catch them?" He asked his voice sounding forced. "The vampires, I mean."

"All but one. She was too quick and managed to escape us near the mountains." Another image flitted through his mind, one that brought my lips back into a snarl causing both my family and Jacob to jump in surprise.

"No." I growled as I remembered the last time I had seen her. She was somewhere in Texas and heading south out of the country I had been planning on following her when Rosalie had called, telling me of Bella's "death". I had almost forgotten about her in my search for Bella, but now she was back and in Forks. "Not her."

"Who, Edward?" Esme asked, concerned with my sudden anger.

"Victoria." I hissed. "Why would she be in Forks?"

"What? Are you sure?" I nodded. I would recognize her anywhere. She had been part of James' coven- his mate. She had been one of those who had tried to kill Bella, who had tried to kill the only one whom I could ever love. At the moment it didn't matter that Bella no longer loved me, if it would make her safer, I would kill Victoria. I turned away from my family to face Jacob.

"I'll help." Anything for Bella.

_Edward, this isn't your decision! _Rosalie had no intention of helping out the wolves. I ignored her and turned to face Carlisle.

"I'll help even if you do not wish to." He remained silent for a moment, debating whether or not it would be wise. He sighed.

"We all will go." Carlisle spoke and inclining his head towards Jacob, continued. "We will leave for Forks tomorrow."

Jacob nodded his head before taking off into the woods his thoughts focused on reaching his home and his wife.

* * *

I stared angrily at my wall of CDs and than down at the one bag Carlisle said that we could bring to Forks. I had already placed a few clothes in the bag not needing much because I had left most of my old clothes in Forks. Now it was just a matter of which CDs I would be bringing. At the moment I was deciding between Muse and Linkin Park, when Alice's screech filled the house.

"How on earth am I supposed to fit all of my clothes in _this_?" Through Jasper's mind, I could see Alice holding up the duffle bag between her thumb and forefinger staring at it with a look of disgust.

"You're not supposed to, Alice. That's the point. Besides don't you have clothes already at the house?" Jasper's voice was soft and persuasive as he tried to talk his wife into leaving her wardrobe here.

There was silence in which I imagined Alice was giving her husband a look that said, 'You expect me to wear those old rags?' before I heard a sigh.

"You can use my bag if you like dear." Alice squealed and I blocked out her thoughts as she began debating which outfits she would most likely need. I knew that somewhere downstairs Rosalie and Emmett had just shared the same conversation. _Women._

I glanced back down at the CDs in my hand and decided to bring them both. Its not like I didn't have the room. I heard the door shut behind Jasper as he ducked out of the room, leaving Alice to her packing and retreated to his study, his mental block was once again up. Seizing the opportunity, I quickly zipped up my bag and threw it on the couch before heading towards his study. I raised my hand to knock on the door but Jasper bade me entrance before I had made contact with the wood. I entered, closing the door behind me and turning to face him.

He was seated in his brown leather chair beside a small fireplace that served no other purpose than that Esme thought it made the room seem cozy. In his lap lay a thick book, much like the ones that lined all four walls of the room. Jasper didn't look up at me but continued to read. I glided past him and took the seat nearby, directly across from his own. We sat there in silence as I waited for him to begin, but after five minutes of silence I let out a sigh of frustration.

_What do you want, Edward? _He still hadn't looked up from his book.

"What are you hiding?" I demanded, not bothering to beat around the bush.

_I'm not hiding anything. I just don't want you in my head for the time being._

"Why?"

_Because I'm not sure you will like what you hear._

"You know something about this." It wasn't a question.

_I might._

"You aren't sure?"

Jasper sighed and laid his book aside. _How much do you know about my past, Edward?_

I shrugged. "Probably more than I should. You thought about it quite often when you first came here." He nodded.

_I figured as much. Do you know of the Southern Wars?_

"I have heard Carlisle speak of them. Why?"

_Have you heard of Benito?_

"I believe so, didn't he attempt to take over Mexico City?"

_Yes. The first anyone heard of him, he came down from somewhere north of Dallas and massacred two small covens that shared the area near Houston. Two nights later, he took on the much clan of allies that claimed Monterrey in northern Mexico. Again he won._

"But what does that have to do with Victoria?" Jasper didn't answer, but looked at me as if the answer was obvious. "What?"

He sighed. _Do you know _why_ Benito won?_

"He created an army of newborn vampires..." My eyes widened and my eyes locked with his. "You don't think that Victoria..." I trailed off in disbelief and Jasper jumped abruptly from his seat and began pacing around the room.

"I don't know what to think! It's exactly how things were in the South. Edward, the disappearances, the increase in the wolves population- it has to mean something!" He growled in frustration. I had never seen him so aggravated; he usually had a tight grip on his emotions- being an empath. I knew that if he was worried than we had a problem.

"But why Forks?" There had to be a reason Victoria was doing this and I doubted it was for territory. Jasper shrugged.

_My guess is as good as yours._

"Could you all come in here please?" Carlisle's distressed voice called from the living room. Jasper and I exchanged glances and were in the living room a moment later, joining the others as we gathered around him.

"What is it dear?" Esme asked, but Carlisle shook his head and pointed towards the television.

"_...Forty-seven year old Charlie Swan was found dead late this afternoon- his body completely drained of blood and the words 'Isabella – V' carved into his chest. Mr. Swan was the Chief of Police in Forks, Washington and wasn't responding to the CBC call. He was found by one of his fellow officers near the La Push Reservation about twenty feet away from his cruiser..."_

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	27. Chapter Twenty Five

_A/N: Here is the next chapter, please review and tell me what you think even if you hate it._

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**Chapter Twenty-Five-**

The rain splattered across the windshield slightly obscuring my vision as my car swerved recklessly along the flooded streets. The soft purr of the engine and the thunder outside were the only sounds, leaving nothing to distract me from my thoughts. Jasper and Alice were a few miles behind me taking it only slightly easier on her Porsche than I was on my Volvo, while Rosalie and Emmett followed closely behind them, with Carlisle and Esme heading up the back.

Charlie Swan had been murdered.

The thought sent a chill down my spine as I imagined the torture he must have endured at the hands of Victoria. The man had never liked me, but he was Bella's father and he was just being overprotective of his seventeen year-old daughter. He had a right to distrust me; his instincts aside, to him I was a seventeen year-old boy, with raging hormones and I had been dating his daughter. Not that I could act on any of those feelings without endangering Bella's life, but that's something he didn't know. I doubt telling him that I was a vampire and could have killed her if we had even attempted… _that_, would have helped. In fact, I was never fond of Charlie either. The only reason I spoke with any of the humans was Bella.

Bella.

How would she react when she found out? Would she blame me? After all, if I hadn't interfered in her life than she never would have met James and Victoria. She never would have been changed and Charlie wouldn't have been dead. She would have gone to college and probably be married with children by now.

My grip tightened on the steering wheel and my foot pressed down harder on the gas pedal, causing the Volvo to accelerate and quickly blow past the red light. It didn't matter no cars were nearby anyway.

My family and I hadn't hesitated to leave the moment the news broadcast had been over. All thoughts of packing had been forgotten. Time was of the essence and after Jasper's startling realization, every second counted. Victoria could strike at any moment and the one question that ran rampant throughout my family's thoughts was, why?

Why now? Why Forks?

It was an answer we hoped to find when we arrived.

The familiar forest flew by at an unnatural speed, but I hardly paid attention. The rain beat relentlessly against the roof of the car and lightning lit up the night sky before the thunder roared above. The streets were dark, not even a street lamp illuminating the way. I assumed the power had gone out, but that didn't matter. I didn't bother slowing down as I neared the border between the sleeping Forks and the La Push territory. As of now, the treaty was null and void. If the wolves wanted our help then we needed to trust each other.

I found the house easily and the Volvo skidded to a halt in their driveway. Sighing heavily, I leaned my forehead against the steering wheel as I awaited my family's arrival. I could hear the thoughts of at least twenty or so wolves from inside the house. Jacob hadn't been lying when he said the Pack had doubled in size.

I did not have to wait long before I could once again hear the thoughts of my family and their brakes screeched in protest as the cars were brought to a sudden halt. I heard the slamming of six car doors before I stepped out of my car and into the pouring rain, wrinkling my nose as the rank smell of wet dog enveloped my senses.

Falling into step behind Carlisle, we all stood in ranking order as we headed up towards the front door. I could hear their thoughts as clear as day and noticed with interest that while they weren't in their wolf form, their minds weren't connected. I pushed the thought aside when the door was opened and a tall Indian boy narrowed his eyes at us, his face pulled up into a snarl. His hands were balled into fists and shaking.

"What do you leeches want?" He growled.

"Watch it Mutt we're here on request." Emmett warned.

"Paul." Sam's commanding voice called from the other room. Grudgingly, the boy stepped aside and allowed us entrance into the house.

_Filthy bloodsuckers._

We stepped in cautiously not letting down our guard in a home full of werewolves. We heard Paul slam the door behind us, but paid him no mind. I had already deduced that he had a temper. We stepped slowly into a large living room that had been clear of furniture to accommodate the large crowd that was assembled there. The Quileute Pack had members varying from the ages fifteen to twenty-two and I wondered at how the population of vampires effected the population of werewolves.

"You have arrived earlier than we anticipated." Sam spoke breaking the silence. There were disgruntled rumblings about how we arrived _too_ early for their tastes. I didn't blame them; it was the three in the morning.

"After the news report earlier this evening we decided that no time should be lost in coming here." Carlisle responded. There was a moment of silence in which I caught the mournful thoughts of Jacob Black as he thought about Charlie.

"It was unfortunate that we were unable to protect him." Sam agreed. His face was calm and void of emotion, but his thoughts revealed his sorrow and the anger he felt towards himself for not preventing the attack. His eyes suddenly snapped back to our faces. "Do you know anything about this?" His tone was insinuating and his expression calculating.

Everyone in the room visibly stiffened. It was a loaded question.

"We had nothing to do with the death of Charlie Swan." Carlisle answered calmly. "We would not have come here if we were the cause of the trouble." A few thoughts revealed their disappointment. "However, we do know who is causing the murders or at least have our suspicions."

"Jacob mentioned a vampire who had escaped your Pack. We believe that this vampire was one of a coven that we encountered eight years ago and that she is seeking revenge."

"Why would she want revenge?" His voice was once again void of emotion. As blank as the expression he wore on his face.

Carlisle sighed his thoughts conflicting with one another before deciding that honesty would be best. "Do you remember Bella Swan?"

Several eyes flickered to me, but I refused to meet any of them. Instead my thoughts were focused on Sam's as an image of her fragile body curled up in the dirt flitted through his mind. I winced, knowing that I was the cause of the pain that had been etched on her face.

"Yes."

"She had been with our family that day. We were in a clearing playing baseball." There was a loud snort from one of the dogs, but Carlisle ignored him and continued. "There was a coven that heard our game and decided to join us. It was a split second decision and Alice didn't see it in time. The coven had three vampires, two males and a female. At first they had only been curious; they didn't have the same diet as us, but then the wind picked up and they caught her scent." He paused momentarily, sorting through his thoughts.

"The leader of the coven was a tracker and tracked her all the way to Phoenix. He managed to trick her into believing that he had her mother. Bella escaped from Alice and Jasper and met him at an old ballet studio. We almost didn't make it in time." He shook his head. "James never had her mother."

"To make a long story short, Edward killed James, who was the Victoria's mate."

There were a few minutes of silence as Sam absorbed what Carlisle said before shaking his head. "Your story would make sense if it weren't for the fact that Bella Swan is dead. If Victoria were after revenge she wouldn't have… _carved_ Isabella into Charlie Swan's chest."

My family and I exchanged knowing glances. Sam noticed. "Unless she isn't dead?"

There was a pregnant silence as the dogs eyed us with suspicion. Carlisle sent Jasper a significant look and a wave of calm spread throughout the room.

"We did not change her, but when we came for her funeral, we found evidence to the contrary and we have recently seen her." Carlisle stated, placing emphasis on the fact that we hadn't been the ones to change her.

"She is one of you?" We nodded, deciding against saying anything else.

"Where is she?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Carlisle responded his brows furrowing in confusion. _Are they going to go after her?_

His thoughts made me stiffen and I fought back the growl that threatened to rise from my throat. They wouldn't touch her. I wouldn't let them.

"I was under the impression that she was dating _him_." He tilted his head in my direction. Oh.

"Bella has her own vegetarian coven." I felt despair wash over me as I thought about Bella and her new family, the majority of which were male. Of course she would find someone new. She couldn't possibly love me after I had left her.

_Calm down, Edward!_

I felt another wave of calm rush over me and I silently thanked Jasper. Now was not the time to deal with this. There was another pause and in hopes of moving this conversation away from my relationship with Bella, I brought up the topic we had come to discuss.

"We believe that Victoria is assembling an army of newborns."

"_Real subtle, dude._" Emmett mocked me silently, but I shrugged him off. I didn't want to spend any more time with the wolves then I had to. Their smell was revolting.

Sam stiffened and looked to Carlisle. "How many?"

Alice answered. "We can't be certain it changes. The last vision I had hinted at around forty-five, but the numbers are going down."

"Why?" One of the wolves asked, curious.

"Long story. Now isn't the time. We need to strategize if we are going to defeat them. We are severely outnumbered and if you are going to fight with us, you'll need some instruction."

The wolves all made a disgruntled face at the last part.

"What time?" Sam asked, ignoring the others.

"We won't be able to do this tonight. The weather is too poor." Carlisle speculated, glancing out the window.

"It will clear up tomorrow." Alice stated confidently. Carlisle nodded.

"Three o'clock?"

"Where?"

"About ten miles due north of the Hoh Forest ranger station. Come at it from the west and you'll be able to follow our scent in." Jasper said and we began moving towards the door. The smell was disconcerting to us all.

"We'll be there."

Carlisle was the only one to acknowledge Sam's words as we made our way outside. After Paul had slammed the door behind us, we all let out a collective sigh of relief and made our way quickly to our cars.

"Do you think we will be able to defeat Victoria?" I asked Carlisle just before he stepped into his Mercedes. He was silent and I blocked out his thoughts, allowing him the opportunity to sort through them.

"It will be difficult." He began. "I think we may have to call the Denali coven for assistance." I nodded.

We would need all the help we could get.

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**Press that Purple Button!**

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	28. Chapter Twenty Six

_A/N: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever! I really have no excuse other then the fact that I was having difficulty writing this out. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who have been reviewing, you guys are awesome! This story is now over six hundred reviews, Two-hundred and seventy-eight alerts, and one hundred seventy-seven favorites!_

_Hope you like this chapter and once again I'm sorry for the delay._

_Kaylee_

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**Chapter Twenty-Six**

My family and I watched anxiously as Carlisle paced the perimeter of our living room. His hands were pulled behind his back and his mouth was set into a thin line. He didn't say anything and I blocked out his thoughts to give him privacy.

"What do you think?" Esme asked softly, her eyes following Carlisle's agitated form. "There are more wolves then we had expected."

"It won't be enough." He sighed. "Their numbers are too high. We will need to call the Denali Clan if we want to make it through this unscathed."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Emmett questioned loudly. He pulled out a small silver phone from his back pocket and handed it to Carlisle. "The sooner we get this out of the way the sooner we can relax."

We held our breath as Carlisle dialed the number and moved towards the windows, laying his hand on the glass. The tension was thick and although Jasper was able to slightly ease the anxiety, no one was able to completely relax. Carlisle fixed his gaze determinedly on the trees outside as the phone rang.

Once. Twice. Three times before someone picked up.

"_Hello, this is Tanya speaking." _Tanya's musical voice held a seductive tone that was always present when she spoke.

"Tanya, this is Carlisle." He said quickly.

"_Oh, Carlisle! How wonderful it is to hear from you! How are you and your family doing? We haven't heard from you in ages. You must come and see us some time."_

"My family and I have a problem. That is what I'm calling about. We are in need of your assistance." Carlisle said quickly.

"_Oh. Is everything alright?" _Her conversational tone turned at once into concern.

"I'm afraid it isn't. I'm sure you have heard of the murders in Seattle?"

There was a pause. _"…Yes, I believe that Eleazar mentioned something about them, why do you ask? I thought you did not live in Washington anymore."_

"Its complicated, but we believe that someone is building a newborn army and that they are headed for Forks." He elaborated.

"_Why is it any of your concern? Isn't this something for the Volturi to handle?"_

"The Volturi seem to have turned the other way in this instance and we have reason to believe that the army has been assembled with the sole purpose of destroying _us_."

Silence.

Carlisle continued. "We are severely outnumbered and although we have the wolves it will be almost impossible to escape without casualties if we don't gain reinforcements."

"_The wolves?" _I couldn't decipher the emotion in Tanya's voice. It was calm, but had an edge that was impossible to miss.

"Werewolves. There is a pack in La Push, but they pose as no threat. There has been a treaty in place since-" Carlisle's explanation was cut short.

"_I'm afraid that we will be unable to aid you this time, Carlisle."_

"What?" The confusion in his tone was laced with slight panic. We _needed_ their help. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Tanya."

"_I'm sorry, but there are other… factors that need to be considered. We cannot help you."_

"Please Tanya, I'm not sure if we will all make it out of this without your assistance." He pleaded. "You _must_ come."

There was a pregnant pause. _"… We will consider it if you do us something in return."_

"Anything."

"_We will need your help in killing the wolves."_

Carlisle's jaw clenched. "Not that."

"_That's the deal breaker."_

"Why?"

"_I believe you were acquainted with Laurent, no? He mentioned you quite a bit."_

My hands curled into fists at the mention of one of James' coven. "Yes." Carlisle answered carefully.

"_He had come to Denali a few months after your meeting and announced that he wanted to try our diet. During the time he spent with us Irina and him grew very close."_

"What does that have to do with the wolves?"

"_Seven years ago he left for a few months, promising he would be back. Irina waited, but when he didn't return she became worried. It wasn't until a year later we found out what became of him." She paused for a moment. "Irina wants the wolves dead. She wants her revenge."_

"Oh," he said, his voice sharper in surprise. "We didn't realize… that Irina felt that way."

"_So do we have a deal?"_

"I cannot agree to this, Tanya. _Please_ reconsider."

"_I'm sorry."_ She said, and before Carlisle could say anything else there was a click and the sound of a dial tone that echoed eerily through the silence.

"Damn it!" I cursed, slamming my fist into the wall. Esme shot me a warning look that I ignored. Damn Laurent! Even after he was dead, James' coven was still torturing my family. Why did Irina have to fall for him- of all the vampires out there?

"What are we going to do now?" Alice asked, her voice barely a whisper. Jasper wrapped his arms around her and brought her small form to his chest. "We're still outnumbered and I can't see the outcome with the wolves involvement."

"We're going to fight." Carlisle sighed, snapping the silver phone shut. His thoughts were muddled with anger and disappointment. We would have been guaranteed an almost easy victory with Kate and Eleazar.

"We can take them." Emmett said confidently as he pulled Rosalie against him, hugging her tightly.

Jasper shook his head. "This isn't good. It's too even a fight. We'd have the upper hand in skill, but not numbers. We'd win, but at what price?" His thoughts were centered on Alice as he pictured the newborns ripping her apart. He cringed and as quickly as the image appeared he pushed it away and his hold on his wife tightened visibly.

No one said anything else as we stood there in silence. There wasn't anything that could be said. Carlisle was racking his brain trying to think of other options- anyone who would be able to help. Esme was worrying about one of us being killed; the thought of losing another child was unbearable for her.

My siblings thoughts were relatively the same as Jasper thought of ways to keep Alice from harm, hundreds of worst case scenarios running through his mind- all of them ending in her death. Alice was searching the future trying in vain to see the outcome, which was blocked off from her because of the werewolves' involvement. Emmett's were similar to Jasper's as he looked down at Rosalie, who was mentally cursing the Denali coven for putting her family in this position.

I blocked them out, my mind turning to Bella. If there was any consolation for her not being with me, at least she was safe and out of harms way. I took some comfort in the fact that after the battle Victoria would never be able to harm her again because I would not let her get away from me this time. She had caused me enough grief to last me an eternity. No, Victoria would not make it out of this alive.

Even if it meant that I wouldn't as well.

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XxXxXxX

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The wind whipped past us as we raced through the black, quiet forest. Despite my speed, I remained behind Carlisle as he led us through the trees. Anxiety was rolling off of us in waves and Jasper was too preoccupied to notice as we entered the large open clearing that had once served as our baseball field. I was surprised when I saw that the bases were still in place, several hundred feet apart. We stood there in silence; no one had spoken much since the phone call with the Denali coven.

As we stood there, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as the overwhelming feeling of being watched came over me. My eyes swept over the dark trees that surrounded us carefully, but I could see nothing out of the ordinary. Regardless, I felt as if someone was watching my every movement and it was unnerving, especially in my already anxious state. My eyes settled on one particular spot and I peered into the darkness trying to find whoever it was. However I could see nothing and I could hear no stray thoughts, but I continued staring, my eyes drawn to that particular spot.

"What are you looking at Edward?" Esme asked softly as she came up beside me. Reluctantly, I tore my eyes away from the spot to meet her curious gaze.

"It's nothing." I said shaking my head and rejoining my family as they were loosely huddled together. Carlisle looked up at me.

"When will our guests arrive?"

I listened intently, hoping to pinpoint the wolves' location through their thoughts. The fact that I couldn't hear anything proved that they weren't in the nearby vicinity. I shrugged my shoulders. "They aren't close."

"Well that's just great." Rosalie huffed impatiently. "What are they doing? We can't waist anymore time and for all we know they are probably off sniffing each others butts."

Emmett snickered and Rosalie turned to glare at him. He didn't stop and if anything his laughter grew, earning him a slap on the back of the head from his irritated wife.

"What?" She just rolled her eyes. "Come on Rose, you have to admit that was funny."

"Whatever Em." She said flippantly and turned her face away from his trying to hide a small smile.

Emmett wasn't having that, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards his chest he whispered lowly against her ear. "I love it when you smile."

I tuned them out- the scene becoming too intimate for me to watch as I tried to fight the irrational anger I felt towards them. I was jealous of the fact that they were able to be with each other while I lived my miserable existence in loneliness because of my own stupid mistakes. The fact that it was my own actions that put me in this situation made it all the more pathetic.

I was brought from my self-loathing by the frantic and confused thoughts of the Pack.

_What are those bloodsuckers doing here?_

_Why is Jacob bringing the leech with us?_

_More importantly, why is he in human form?_

Most of their thoughts ran along the same lines and I tensed in apprehension. Who was coming? Carlisle noticed and looked at me warily.

"What's wrong?"

"They're coming," I paused, debating whether or not I should tell him the rest. "…And from the sound of it they are bringing others with them."

"More wolves?" I didn't fail to catch the hopefulness in his tone.

I shook my head. "Vampires." From the corner of my eyes I saw my family tense. "They should be here any minute now."

Our small circle expanded into an arc as Emmett, Jasper, and I flanked Carlisle. There was silence for a moment, none of us daring to speak, before the rustling of leaves and the pounding of paws hitting the forest floor filled the air as the wolves came closer with their unexpected visitors.

Sam was the first to enter the clearing, before fifteen or so more wolves followed behind him cautiously. Some threw furtive glances back towards where they had just entered as they peered into the forest, searching.

_Jacob has brought… visitors._

I nodded slightly at Sam, acknowledging his thoughts. "Sam says that Jacob has brought someone with him." I informed Carlisle.

"Who is it?" He asked, uncertainty creeping into his tone.

Sam didn't have the opportunity to answer before Jacob stepped into the clearing, clad only in a pair of torn trousers. His face was an unreadable mask, although his thoughts were slightly panicked as he took in the Pack's glowering expression. He didn't say anything, but stepped up to stand beside Sam.

We watched with growing apprehension as we waited for the figure to step through the trees. Jacob nodded slightly in the vampire's direction and I almost fell over in shock as Bella stepped into the clearing.

"I thought you could use some assistance."

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**I brought her back! Next chapter will pick up at BPOV, but if you want to find out what happens, then press that purple/blue button and tell me what you think!**

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	29. Chapter Twenty Seven

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_A/N: Wow! Do you know how amazing you guys are? Last chapter received Sixty-Eight reviews! That's a new record! You don't know how much I appreciated the feedback and although this is late, I have the next chapter halfway written meaning it should be posted within two days. Thanks again to all of you, your reviews were wonderful!  
_

_I hope you enjoy Chapter Twenty-Seven!_

_Kaylee_

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**Chapter Twenty-Seven-**

_Charlie Swan_

_1964 – 2012_

_Beloved Father and Beloved Friend_

The rain pelted relentlessly against my skin, thoroughly soaking my clothes making them cling to my skin as the wind whipped my hair, causing it to fly out in all directions. I probably resembled a drowned rat or looked deranged as I stared down at the cold granite rock. The words inscribed there were meaningless, doing my father no justice for all he had done for me. For this town. I truly hated myself for doing this to him. If it weren't for me, Victoria would never have come after him. If I had never come to Forks, he would still be alive. Venom pooled in my eyes, blurring my vision with tears that could never fall. My family was standing nearby, under the cover of the trees. I could feel their eyes boring into me as I stared unblinking down at his headstone. They were sorry for me, they wanted to empathize with me, but they didn't know Charlie. To them, all he is, is this gravestone. They were here for me and me only.

When I had seen the news report announcing his death, I hadn't known what to think. It had taken at least an hour for the initial shock to wear off before I broke down into sobs. Daniel held me all night while Jamie and the others watched on helplessly. That it was my fault Charlie had died, because of that monster Victoria, made everything worse. She was sending me a message; she was after me.

I tore my eyes away from the headstone, the guilt and pain becoming too much and began walking towards my family. Their expressions were all understanding and Jamie pulled me into a hug.

"It will be alright."

I smiled slightly at her as she pulled away. Anthony placed his large hand on my shoulder and grinned. "Let's get out of here already."

I nodded and lead them away from the cemetery, casting one last glance at Charlie's grave before taking off at full speed. The others followed closely behind, Jamie somewhere in the middle, surrounded by my brothers. She was still technically a newborn and still hard to control. I led them through the familiar forest of Forks and down the pathway behind my old home.

The key was still under the eave and I smiled sadly, wondering at how everything had changed, but at the same time nothing at all. The house had been relatively undisturbed and seemed unchanged since I had last been here. The same worn couch greeted me as I entered the living room and from the corner of my eyes I could see the faded yellow cabinets, Renee's poor attempts at bringing the sun into Forks.

"This is where you lived?" Jamie asked quietly as she moved to stand beside me. I nodded and moved towards the stairs, my feet leading me of their own accord to my bedroom.

I stopped just in front of the door, my hand hovering just over the handle as I silently debated whether or not I should enter before working up the nerve. The door creaked as I pushed it open to reveal the same pale yellow walls and ragged blue curtains. My bed was still pushed in the corner, the sheets as mussed and tangled as they had been seven years ago. A thick layer of dust covered every surface and I was sure that this room had been undisturbed since my disappearance. A small smile tugged at my lips as I saw the dinosaur that I had used as a computer and wondered how I ever got any work done. My eyes were drawn to the old wooden rocking chair and without thinking I moved to sit down. It groaned under the weight as I settled into it.

The memories that assailed me as I glanced around the room made me cringe and my heart constrict, but I couldn't bring myself to leave. This was something I needed to do. It was clear that Charlie hadn't entered this room, whether or not it was because it hurt him too much to be reminded, I didn't know.

"Knock, knock." Joshua said as he peeked his head in through the door.

"Hey."

"Can I come in?" He asked looking at me uncertainly.

I shrugged. "Sure."

He grinned and hopped onto my bed, causing a layer of dust to fly into the air. "So,"

"So..."

"This is your room." He said, looking around, his expression calculating. Unimpressed.

"Yeah, well its no palace, but I liked it."

"No, it looks like you." He said shaking his head and I shot him a funny look. Unsure whether or not I should be thanking him. I opted to change the subject.

"So, what are you doing in here?" He shrugged and leaned back on the bed, his arms folded and resting behind his head.

"Just seeing what you were up to. You seemed down."

"Seeing my father's grave tends to do that me." He cringed at my tone and I apologized. "Sorry, I'm probably not the best company at the moment."

"It's okay. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He said, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. "I'm sorry if I bothered you."

Shaking my head, I rose from the chair and moved towards him, wrapping my arms around his waist. "You weren't bothering me, I just needed some time to think is all." He kissed my forehead and rumpled my hair playfully as I pulled away.

"No problem, sis." Josh smiled before exiting the room, leaving me alone once again. I sighed and sat down on the bed, fiddling with my hands absent mindedly, my thoughts unwillingly straying towards the Cullens.

I cringed when I remembered our last meeting, their faces flashing through my mind. Their shock at my appearance and pained expressions at my anger were foremost in my thoughts. Accusing me whenever I closed my eyes. No matter how much they had hurt me, they had once been my family and I shouldn't have taken my anger out on them. If they didn't want me, I had no right to be angry with them. They can't control their feelings and I couldn't make them love me. I wonder most at Edward's plea to have me stay. Did he just feel guilty? He didn't have to. It wasn't his fault he didn't want me, and I had my own family now. Even if I hadn't been so blinded by anger during that meeting I still wouldn't have stayed. But I can't help but wonder what would have happened if I had. I didn't allow myself to dwell on those thoughts for long. It wouldn't do me any good to ponder what could have been; I just needed to deal with what is.

I was drawn from my thoughts by Anthony's boisterous laughter and I stood up from my bed slowly, my curiosity leading me down the stairs. I froze at the bottom step, as I saw my brothers huddled around the fireplace, Jamie standing off to the side with a smirk on her face.

"What are you doing?" I asked suspiciously, unsure if I actually wanted to know.

All Eight of them turned around, their eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Bella, why didn't you tell us you were such a cute baby?" Anthony snickered, holding up a picture of myself as a baby, sitting naked in a bathtub. My eyes widened in horror. Damn Charlie for never taking those down!

I was at his side in an instant and snatched the picture from his hand. However the damage was already done and the image ingrained into their memories for eternity. I quickly gathered the six other photos that had lain on the mantle and hid them from view.

"My favorite was the picture of her dressed up as a pumpkin." Jamie teased casting me a sidelong glance. I turned to glare at her. Traitor.

-x-

"I'm fine." Jamie insisted once again as I tugged on her hand, pulling her out the back door of the house. I didn't have to be a mind reader to know she was lying. Her usual amber eyes were dark, almost black and the circles under her eyes were more pronounced.

"Don't argue with me, Jamie. You're still a newborn and need to hunt frequently." From the corner of my eyes I saw her glaring at me, but I ignored her. This was for her own good.

"Aw squirt," Anthony pouted as he playfully ruffled Jamie's hair. "Don't you want to chase down a lion or a grizzly with your bear hands?" She swatted away his hand and tried to hide the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"No." She said stubbornly, and then added, "And don't call me squirt."

"Come on, its fun!"

"How can calling me "Squirt" be fun?"

"I was talking about hunting, but that too."

"You're an idiot."

"That hurts, Jamie."

I rolled my eyes and tuned out their argument. Those two were like children. Instead I turned my attention to Matthew who was watching the exchange with a mixture of amusement and longing. Poking him in the side, he reluctantly tore his eyes away from the two and met my gaze. I raised my eyebrow and smirked as he smiled at me sheepishly.

"All right you two," Christopher intervened. "Break it up."

"She started it." Anthony said childishly to which Jamie responded by sticking out her tongue. Before he could respond I spoke up.

"Okay, I think its time for you all to leave."

"That hurts, Bella."

"Shut up, Anthony. Remember to steer clear of La Push."

"Yeah, we know Bells." Michael waved off my comment as they all started heading towards the forest.

"I'm serious!"

"Don't worry, Bella." Daniel said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "They won't do anything stupid."

I rolled my eyes. That was highly doubtful.

-x-

"Are you _sure_ they're in here?" Daniel grumbled from the inside of Charlie's closet.

I pulled my head out from under his bed and bit my lip. "Um, no." How was I supposed to remember where my father had kept his pictures? We weren't really a talkative family.

I heard a growl come from the closet. "Your father was a pig."

"Pack rat would be a more appropriate term." I ducked my head back under the bed only to come face to face with an empty pizza box. Okay, maybe Daniel was right.

"Where are those pictures?" I questioned aloud, standing up from my place on the carpet and scanning his messy room.

"I don't know, but they aren't in the closet." My brother announced as he dusted off his jeans, a scowl marring his features. "I'm not going back in there."

"Oh fine, you big baby." I huffed. "I think there are some pictures from Phoenix in my old room. You may have to rummage around a bit, but it should be better than in here."

I didn't have to say another word before Daniel disappeared out of the room. I glanced around once more, hoping I might have overlooked something, but knowing it was unlikely. Sighing, I decided to go check the closet downstairs when I heard the front door slam and the smell of a wet dog slowly invaded my senses.

"Shit." Daniel muttered lowly before appearing beside me. He was glaring at the staircase and I looked at him curiously, my nose wrinkling as the smell became more pungent.

"What is that smell?"

He didn't answer, but took a slow cautious step forward. I noticed his posture had slipped into a crouch as he began his descent down the stairs. I followed behind, confused as to his behavior. I heard the sound of someone in the kitchen and I stiffened. What if it was a human? I glanced anxiously at my brother as he glided towards the kitchen, the smell becoming more pronounced.

As we turned the corner I had to stifle a gasp as I stared at the large muscled back of a shirtless russet skinned man. His black hair was cut short and was moving around the kitchen as if he were searching for something. Suddenly he stiffened and spun around quickly, glaring at Daniel and I. The man started shaking violently and Daniel snarled at him taking a step forward. I looked between the two and my eyes widened in realization.

"Jacob?"

-x-

Victoria.

I snarled as I thought the name of that vile creature. I had seen many things in my short life, human and vampire alike, but no one had ever encompassed what a monster truly was until I had met her. It wasn't enough to go after me and my family, but now she was after the Cullens. I had thought that after James everything would have been settled. I should have known it wasn't that easy. After all, who am I if not a danger magnet?

I pushed my legs faster as Jacob quickened his stride to match my own. The other wolves aren't too pleased with him at the moment. When he called saying he would be bringing a vampire with him to their meeting with the Cullens they refused vehemently, but after Sam Uley consented there was nothing they could do.

Daniel wasn't too keen on the idea of me going with Jacob either, but he reluctantly agreed to get the others and bring them to the clearing. From the sound of Jacob's directions we would be heading towards the baseball clearing. How fitting that the place where it had all started would be the beginning of its end.

Jacob didn't seem too surprised that I was a vampire, which made me believe that the Cullens must have mentioned it, although under what circumstances I wasn't certain. Apparently my family and I have stumbled into a war zone, according to the information that I had gleaned from Jacob. The way his eyes tightened and the slight quickening of his heart when he spoke about the situation tipped me off to the danger that they were all in.

They would die fighting _my_ battle.

If it hadn't been for me, Victoria would never be seeking revenge for James' death. And now that I knew, there was no way that I wasn't helping. With my brothers powers the odds should be tipped in our favor and their chances of winning go up exponentially while the opportunity for death dropped.

That thought alone made my decision.

I cut off my breathing as the smell of werewolf became stronger; alerting me to the fact that we were drawing near. My pace gradually slowed until we were both standing on the outskirts of the clearing. I stayed hidden in the shadows as Jacob stepped forward, making his appearance known. I felt the glares of all the wolves on me as I awaited Jacob's signal. I watched as he stepped towards the front of the pack, stopping by the largest wolf of them all, before tilting his head slightly in my direction.

I hesitated momentarily. My last meeting with the Cullens hadn't ended too well and I wasn't sure how they would receive me. _Oh well. They will just have to accept it._

I took a deep breath before stepping into the light, my face composed into an emotionless mask. I guess you could say I was taking a page out of Edward's book.

Ignoring the startled and disbelieving expressions on the Cullens' faces, I spoke.

"I thought you could use some assistance."

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**Please don't be angry with for me for ending it there. The next chapter will be up within two days so in the meantime press that button and tell me what you think! Do you like it? Hate it? Are you happy to see the brothers again? Please review and let me know.**

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	30. Chapter Twenty Eight

_A/N: As promised here is the next chapter. I want to thank all of you who have been reviewing. The reviews kept me from ripping my hair out in frustration when I couldn't find the words for this chapter. You all get a big hug from Emmett, because we all know he gives the best bear hugs._

_**Disclaimer** I have included some text from Eclipse... it was necessary for the chapter, but I don't plan on doing much more of that. But just to be clear: **If I owned the Twilight Series, Edward would never have left in New Moon and Jacob would have imprinted on Mike Newton.**_

_Now, I need to give you all a heads up. I'm going to California and won't be able to update for a few weeks. I'm **NOT** abandoning this story, I will just be on vacation so don't worry if you don't see an update from me for a while.  
_

_Kaylee_

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**Chapter Twenty-Eight-**

I waited in silence as they stared at me with wide disbelieving eyes. I suppose they should be surprised; after our last meeting I doubt they had been expecting to see me again. I inwardly cringed as I thought about how I had treated them. My anger may have been justified, but my behavior was not. I couldn't hate them for not wanting me and I didn't. I had my own family now.

Thankfully, Carlisle regained his composure and cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence that had descended upon the clearing.

"Not that we aren't grateful for your offer," he began carefully, exchanging a sidelong glance with Esme. "But how did you find us?"

Grateful that they didn't seem angered by my presence, I took another step forward. "I didn't come here in search of you. I came to Forks because of Charlie…" I trailed off, gathering from the pained looks on their faces that they knew what I was referring to.

"Jacob found me at the house and explained the situation." A scowl made its way onto my face as I recalled how many lives Victoria had taken. It wasn't enough to go after Charlie, but the Cullens as well. "I would have gone after her anyway, but this just made everything easier. Victoria won't be getting away from me this time."

I looked back up to meet Carlisle's eyes. "This is my battle that you are fighting. Victoria's after me, not you; my family and I would like to offer our assistance."

As if they had been summoned, my brothers and Jamie appeared beside me, their postures stiff and suspicious as they eyed the wolves that stood watching our exchange on the opposite side of the clearing. Matthew placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, showing his silent support as I stood there awaiting Carlisle's answer- not that it mattered. We wouldn't be leaving even if they didn't want our help, but his consent would make working together easier.

Carlisle was slightly startled by their sudden appearance, but managed to keep a straight face as he took in my brothers' size. His shoulders sagged as a look of relief washed over his calm façade, making me frown slightly. If he had been so worried, what had they planned on doing if we hadn't arrived?

I pushed that thought aside when I saw Alice take a hesitant step forward, her eyes wary and unsure as she approached me. I felt a pang of guilt as I remembered how poorly I had treated her at our last meeting. In my anger I had lashed out against her; no matter how hurt I had been or how worried about Jamie, there was no excuse for my behavior. I sighed, knowing that I owed them an apology.

"Bella?" Her usual bright voice was laced with uncertainty as she stopped a few feet away from me.

"Hello Alice." I offered her a small smile, which was all the encouragement she needed before she rushed over to me, her tiny arms wrapping around my waist in an iron grip. Her face was buried into my shoulder, almost, but not quite reaching my height.

"I've missed you so much." Her voice was muffled by my shoulder, but I understood her perfectly. A small grin threatened to break across my face as I realized just how much I had missed her as well.

"I missed you too, Alice."

She pulled away slightly so that she could look at my face; her eyes anxiously searched mine for any trace of lies before she let out a small sob. "I'm sorry, Bella!"

Startled by her outburst, I looked uncertainly towards the Cullens, who seemed just as surprised as I was, before looking back down at the small vampire in my arms. "Shh," I soothed as I tried to calm her shaking form. "I should be the one apologizing to you."

A wave of calm was sent our way and I sent a grateful look towards Daniel, who shook his head in response.

"It wasn't me." His brow was furrowed in confusion, but I turned towards Jasper.

"Thanks." He nodded his head as if to say, 'Don't mention it.'

Once Alice had regained her composure she reluctantly pulled away, only to be replaced by Emmett, who took me completely by surprise as his boisterous laugh filled the clearing; his arms threatening to crush me as he lifted me off the ground.

"Bella!"

"Its nice to see you to?" The words came out more of a question as he set me back down, a broad grin etched onto his face.

To say that I was confused would be an understatement as I was once more pulled into an embrace, although this time it was much gentler as Esme whispered her joy in seeing me again.

Didn't they hate me? I thought they had, but from the looks on their faces it obviously wasn't the case. I tried to write it off as their relief from the coming battle, but when Rosalie sent me a small genuine smile, the first that I had ever received from her, I started to have my doubts.

Was it only Edward who didn't want me around or did they only pity me for what I had been- a distraction. Was that what I was now and that was the reason they were happy to see me? These questions and more attacked me from all sides as I greeted each of them.

Throughout the exchange I managed to avoid making eye contact with Edward, although I could feel his eyes boring into the back of my head. After greeting Jasper, who had shyly shaken my hand, I reluctantly turned to face him.

I stifled a gasp at his burning topaz eyes as they stared down into mine, searing me with their intensity. He hadn't changed at all. His bronze hair was still as disheveled as ever and fell into his impossibly gorgeous eyes. I scowled internally. Seven years later and he still manages to take my breath away.

"Edward." I nodded.

I waited for the pain that had subsided over the years to come back full force, to come and threaten to swallow me whole. But to my surprise - and relief - it never did. Not even a whisper of the torture I had once been subjected to. The thought reassured me.

There was only a slight tugging of my heart, encouraging me as I realized how far I had come since he had left. I was moving on, slowly, but it was an improvement. I had found my own happiness and the realization that I wasn't such a hopeless case put me at ease. I would be all right.

Unfortunately, my little epiphany didn't make the situation any less awkward. He was my ex-boyfriend after all.

Unsure of what else I should do, I just gave him a small smile, which wasn't as forced as I would have expected it to be. The knowledge that I could handle this gave me confidence and I turned back towards Carlisle feeling empowered.

"I assume you have met my brothers?" I wasn't sure. After all they _had_ spoken when I had ran after Jamie. Whether or not names were mentioned I didn't know.

My brothers in question were currently glaring at Edward, something that I would have to talk to them about later. Jamie wasn't making eye contact with any of them, but watching me with a curious expression on her face. I gave her a questioning look and she quickly lowered her eyes to the ground.

"Yes," He began slowly. "We did have the… opportunity... of meeting them."

His careful statement peaked my curiosity as I wondered just what happened that night while I was absent.

Everything felt so surreal at the moment. The Cullens' warm reception of me wasn't something I had anticipated. They were supposed to hate me or at least that's what I kept telling myself. They had left me so they couldn't have wanted me- or at least Edward didn't.

"The wolves are becoming impatient." Edward's voice broke through my thoughts. It was unexpectedly hoarse and he cleared his throat, embarrassed.

Carlisle nodded and took a step forward towards the wolves who had been up to this moment, ignored.

"Welcome," Carlisle greeted as he took a cautious step forward towards the wolves. "We're sorry for the wait."

"Thank you," Edward responded in a strange, flat tone. It took me a moment to realize that he was translating for the wolves. "Are your visitors going to be joining us?"

Carlisle nodded and there was a low rumble from among the line of wolves. "Bella and her coven have offered their assistance in the battle."

"We will watch and listen, but no more. That is the most we can ask of our self-control."

"That is more than enough," Carlisle answered. "My son Jasper" – he gestured to where Jasper stood, tensed and ready – "has experience in this area. He will teach us how they fight, how they are to be defeated. I'm sure you can apply this to your own hunting style."

"Do you know when and how they'll arrive?" It was strange, hearing Edward's voice so devoid of emotion. Unfamiliar to me from the voice I had grown accustomed to when I was human.

Carlisle looked uncertainly back at Alice, who nodded slightly in his direction. "We can't be certain. The visions have been distorted, but we believe it should be within the next four days from across the mountains. The time hasn't been determined."

"Thank you for the information. We will watch."

With a sighing sound, the wolves all lowered themselves to the ground their eyes still sharp and calculating. Jasper took a step into the empty space between the two species and threw a wary glance at Edward, who nodded, and then Jasper turned his back to the werewolves. His discomfort was obvious; his military training and instincts screaming against turning his back to an enemy.

"According to Alice's visions, the vampires we are going to be facing are all very new- only a few months old to this life." I had a feeling that the explanation was more for my family's benefit. We were essentially clueless as to what Victoria had been planning, only the information that Jacob had shared was at our disposal.

"They'll fight like children. The two most important things you'll need to remember are, first don't let them get their arms around you, and second, don't go for the obvious kill. That's all they'll be prepared for. As long as you come at them from the side and keep moving, they'll be too confused to respond effectively." Pausing, Jasper looked over at Anthony and then towards Emmett, a calculating expression on his face.

"Emmett, Anthony?"

The two vampires in question stepped out of the lines and towards Jasper.

My eyes widened as I saw them standing side-by-side. They were an intimidating duo.

Jasper seemed to have the same thoughts, as he looked them over- as if he were judging who was strongest. Emmett and Anthony were looking each other over as well, as if there were some unspoken competition between the two.

"Oh great," Jamie muttered beside me. "Knowing those two, these next few days are going to be hell." I stifled my laughter, knowing that she was probably right.

"Okay," Jasper began. "Emmett first. He's the best example of a newborn attack."

Emmett's eyes narrowed at his brother, who merely grinned in response. "Emmett relies on his strength. He's very straightforward about the attack. The newborns won't be trying anything subtle, either."

He continued to demonstrate as Emmett charged towards his brother like a bear, his teeth gleaming as he snarled. I could feel my brothers' excitement as they shifted impatiently on their feet. Their brawl didn't last long and Emmett cursed when Jasper held him from behind, his teeth an inch from his throat.

The wolves rumbled their appreciation and Emmett glared at his brother, demanding a rematch.

This carried on for the next hour as one by one each Cullen went up against him. The hardest to watch had been Jasper attacking Esme and I cringed as I thought of her killing anything. It just didn't seem to fit her personality. However, it was Edward and Jasper's battle that captured my attention the most. Their fight had been more even than either of the others. Jasper had a century of experience to guide him, and he tried to go on instinct alone as much as he could, but his thoughts always gave him away a fraction of a second before he acted. Their match had ended in a draw, both grinning madly at each other.

"Not bad." Jasper laughed as Edward joined the line once more. Jasper turned towards my family expectantly, his smile still in place. "Who's next?"

Ethan poked me in the side and I stepped forward. "I'll go."

Jasper's smile fell slightly and he looked back towards the Cullens uncertainly. Obviously this wasn't something he wanted to hear.

"Are you sure, Bella?"

I frowned at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He shot another tentative glance towards his family. Curiously, I turned to follow his gaze, wondering why he was so hesitant, only to be met with a scowling Edward as he glared daggers at his brother.

"Jasper." He growled lowly.

"Edward, stop it." Alice hissed, peeking at me through the corner of her eye. "She'll be fine."

Annoyance flickered as he shook his head furiously. "No. She's not fighting."

Narrowing my eyes at him, watched as silently argued with his siblings. Jamie growled from behind me.

"Jasper, please." I said through clenched teeth, fighting to keep the irritation from my voice and indicating for him to get ready.

Edward turned to face me, fury evident in his eyes. "You're not fighting!

Anger flared up in me as he continued to argue with his siblings. He couldn't expect me to just sit back while the others were fighting! Who was he to tell me what I could and could not do?

"You can't stop me, I'm not human anymore, Edward!"

He growled and took a step forward. "You'll get hurt!"

I snorted. I was a vampire it was almost impossible to hurt me. Besides, its not as if anyone could catch me anyways. "Jasper won't be able to touch me."

The look of obvious disbelief that crossed his features caused my indignation to swell. If he didn't believe me, then I would prove it to him. Pushing Edward aside, I turned back to Jasper signaled for him to start.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Bella?" He asked once again, casting another nervous look towards Edward. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm a big girl, Jasper. I can take care of myself."

He nodded before walking about four yards away from me and shifting into a crouch. I mirrored his movements, vaguely aware of the eyes of the Cullens as they watched us anxiously.

"Go Bella!" Anthony whooped, breaking the strained silence that had fallen over the clearing. I smiled slightly, but quickly composed my features when Jasper sidestepped to the right. I matched his action as we began to slowly circle each other.

Jasper snarled before springing forward, giving me only a moment to evade his attack. He landed nimbly and spun around quickly to face me, making eye contact for a moment before he launched towards me again. A snarl instinctively wretched out of my throat as I barely avoided his grasping hands. As he readied himself for another assault, I made use of my power and slipped out of his sight.

There were several sharp intakes of breath and Jasper's face melted into bewilderment. The wolves growled their confusion while my brother's and Jamie began cheering wildly.

I smirked when glanced over at the Cullens who were staring at where I had disappeared from in disbelief.

"Where did she go?" Jasper asked warily, still crouched as his eyes darted uselessly around.

He turned his back to me and I took the opening, leaping towards him and pinning his arms down so as I straddled his back, my teeth dangerously close to his neck. Jasper froze under me as my family roared with laughter when I materialized again.

I jumped up off of him and held out my hand to help him up, grinning madly at the dumbfounded expression on his face.

He dazedly took my hand. "How did you…?" Jasper trailed off shaking his head.

"My talent."

"Oh." Was all he said, not quite sure how to respond to this new information. "You could have mentioned that before." I shrugged before turning around to meet Edward's gaze. My smirk slowly fell from my face as his eyes pierced mine, as if he were seeing straight through me. I quickly averted my eyes and moved towards Jamie, hoping to avoid his uncomfortable scrutiny.

What was he looking for?

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**So... What did you think? Love it? Hate it? Wish Edward had just confessed his love on the spot? I'm not Edward and I can't read your minds  
**


	31. Chapter Twenty Nine

**A/N: **_Now I know what you're thinking and the answer is no, you aren't just seeing things, THIS REALLY IS AN UPDATE!_

_I must apologize for the extremely and unforgivably long delay in this chapter._

_However, I'm not sure you really care about my apology and no lame "I'm sorry" on my part will make it up to you that I haven't posted in over a month._

_But that won't stop me from saying it. So here it is-_

_I'm sorry._

...

Anyways_, here it is. The chapter that took me way too long to write and brought me endless hours of pain as I tried to get it out on paper._

_I hope my suffering and unpaid menial labor brings you joy._

_Just kidding. This story is fun – if not difficult – to write._

_Enjoy,_

_Kaylee_

**Disclaimer: I _wish_ I owned Edward.**

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**Chapter Twenty-Nine -**

The Cullen mansion was just as impressive as it had ever been, I noted, slowly making my way up the porch steps. Jamie stood at my side, her small hand clutched in mine for silent support. I wasn't sure if this was the brightest idea. The Cullens had offered up their home to us, Carlisle reasoning that it would be more prudent if we were all together in the event of a surprise attack. Matthew had agreed reluctantly, but I wasn't so convinced. The house held so many memories that I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle it.

Alice stood close beside me, casting me sidelong glances and biting her lip as she refrained from interrogating me right there. I tried to ignore this as Esme beckoned us inside.

Anthony let out a low whistle. "Wow. This is some set up you have here."

"Thank you." Esme beamed happily, her amber eyes shining.

We all filed in, my brothers openly gawking at the expensive furnishings and the insane size of the room. Jamie's expression remained indifferent; she had lived with the Cullens before and I had no doubt that their previous home was just as extravagant.

Carlisle led us towards the living room, gesturing towards an array of chairs and sofas for us to sit. I silently recalled the first time I had ever been here, thinking that it would be impossible for the room to seem crowded. However, the combination of both covens seemed to disprove that theory and I opted to take my seat at the foot of one of the sofas, pulling Jamie down beside me.

There was a momentary silence in which none of us had any idea of what to say. I shifted uncomfortably as I caught Edward's unwavering gaze and looked away quickly, fixing my eyes on the carpet. Jamie squeezed my hand.

"Thank you for allowing us to stay." Matthew began carefully- testing the waters.

"You are very welcome dear." Esme said kindly and my lips twitched slightly as Matthew tried to reign in his surprise at her endearment.

"It wasn't necessary though," I added when we threatened to fall back into silence. "It would have been no trouble to stay at Charlie's."

Alice rolled her eyes. "You and Charlie were cramped enough as it was when you were human. The nine of you wouldn't have lasted two days in that old house."

I didn't bother with a retort. I knew it was useless to argue with Alice and although I wouldn't admit it, she was right. As much as I loved my brothers, they could be overbearing.

She smiled brightly, taking my silence for what it was, and continued. "Besides, we haven't seen you for seven years, Bella."

I refrained from pointing out that it had been their decision. That would have been cruel and would only increase everyone's discomfort. Instead I sent her a small smile, hoping that my uneasiness wasn't as obvious to the others as it seemed to be to me.

"I haven't changed." I said, unsure I wanted to discuss my past with the Cullens.

"I hardly believe that."

I shrugged, not quite sure how to respond to that and opted to change the subject.

"What have you been up to?" The question seemed too casual coming from my lips. It was as if I were talking to an old friend who I hadn't seen in a few weeks as opposed to my ex-family who had abandoned me years ago.

Alice stiffened and exchanged nervous glances with her siblings before casting a furtive look in Edward's direction. "Traveling."

I eyed her suspiciously. It was easy to see she was lying, but I didn't call her on it.

From beside me, Jamie snorted, drawing the eyes of everyone in the room. I cocked my head to the side, looking at her questioningly, but she pretended not to notice and rose to her feet quickly, letting go of my hand in the process.

"I need to hunt." She announced tersely, avoiding eye contact with me and moved briskly from the room, her steps long and hurried as she disappeared out the front door.

Her abrupt exit startled me and it took a moment before I registered that she was upset. I scrambled to my feet quickly and with less grace as I made a move to follow her

"Stay." Daniel said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "We'll go."

I shrugged him off. "I need to talk to her."

"No, what you need to do is stay here. Jamie will be fine."

"You're going." I pointed out.

"Because I don't think we should be involved in this conversation." He stated, his voice in a low whisper, despite the fact that the Cullens would be able to hear him regardless.

I cast a sidelong glance at the family before letting out a sigh of defeat. He was right of course. It would be better if I did this alone.

"Buck up, Bells!" Anthony laughed, his large palm mussing my hair as he stood up from the couch. "We'll go get Squirt."

"I suggest you don't call her that when we find her or else she'll be really upset." Ethan said as they made their way towards the door. Michael paused momentarily, casting a wary glance in my direction before following the others outside, leaving me alone with the Cullens.

Great.

-x-

"Should we try this again?" Carlisle asked, breaking the tense silence that had fallen over the room. I managed a small, weak smile and made my way to one of the recently vacated seats. The room seemed much less crowded than it had before, but I felt ill at ease as I realized I had no support system with me.

Alice plopped down on the empty cushion beside me; her small features belied her nervousness as she turned to face me.

"What happened, Bella?"

It was an innocent enough question, but it was one that I hadn't really looked forward to answering. I didn't feel up to discussing a time that I would rather forget. No matter that my brothers were the best things that ever happened to me, the weeks before that had been unbearable.

"There was a car crash." I started, deciding to skim over my catatonic stage. It would only illicit unwelcome pity and that was the last thing I wanted from them.

"You mean that really happened?" Emmett interrupted. "I thought it was just a cover up."

I gave him a small twisted smile. "No, that really happened."

"I don't quite remember where I was going, trivial memories like that have faded. But I remember the roads had been icy and I was going slower than usual." Here I paused and my eyes flickered towards Edward. "I made a promise to keep safe, after all." Although why he cared is still a mystery to me.

"They didn't see me as they were racing around the corner, and they were going too fast to slow down once they did." I shifted slightly in my seat, uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on me. Was it really so important that they know my story?

"I was sent through the windshield after the force of the impact unhitched my seatbelt. I guess that was something that Jacob hadn't checked when he fixed up the old thing. Although I assume he thought that if any car tried to take on that tank it would be the one to come out a total wreck." It was almost amusing if you thought about it. I had managed to evade crazy sadistic vampires hell bent on drinking my blood, only to die in a car crash.

"Matthew was the one who changed me. He had been around the longest and had the most… control I guess you could say." Not that he said it wasn't hard. I found out later just how close he had been to losing that control and sucking me dry.

I glanced up and met their thoughtful gazes. "My story isn't so traumatic as others. In fact I would venture to say I was lucky."

Rosalie snapped out of her train of thought and looked at me with appraising eyes. I met her gaze evenly, her beauty not as intimidating as it had once been.

"You consider yourself lucky? They took away your life." Her voice was flat and void of emotion, but there was a spark of anger in her amber eyes.

"They gave me a life, Rosalie. I had no future while I was human." A lonely emotionless, existence was what awaited me before. My family had brought color back into my life when all I could see was gray.

"What are you talking about?" Edward snapped. I jumped, startled by his outburst. It had been the first time he spoke to me since I sparred with Jasper. "You had _everything_ to look forward to. You would have graduated high school, gone to college, gotten married, started a family…" He trailed off fury clearly evident in his beautiful features.

I shook my head slowly, a sardonic smile on my lips. None of that would have been possible.

-x-

"Where's Anthony?" Christopher asked, poking his head in through the door of the guest room that Esme had insisted Jamie and I use. Jamie glanced up from the book she had been reading and rolled her eyes.

"He and Emmett are in the forest somewhere. Apparently they need to find out which one of them is the strongest." And then turning to look at me she added, "I told you that this was going to happen."

"I thought they had arm wrestled to figure that one out." Christopher asked as he leaned against the doorway.

"They did," I smirked. "But every time either of them won, the other would declare them a cheater before shouting rematch."

It was rather amusing, actually. Although how someone would be able to cheat at arm wrestling was beyond me.

"But what could they possibly be doing in the forest?"

"Throwing trees." Jamie responded, before returning to her book, Christopher took that as his cue to leave. He closed the door softly behind him and I frowned down at the drawing I had been working on before tossing it aside and staring out the window.

Being in the Cullen's house felt strange. Every memory that had ever included them were the ones that refused to fade and it seemed that every room in this house held some piece of my past. After my less than enlightening conversation with the family I took refuge in this room and haven't left since. Jamie joined me soon after she came back from her hunt, but I could tell from the look on her face that she wasn't up for discussing what had upset her earlier.

I didn't expect to be left alone for long. The gleam in Alice's eyes as I had ascended the stairs left little doubt of that, and now that the sun had set I was sure she would come around at any time.

What else did we have to do at night?

Jamie sighed from her position on the couch and snapped her book shut.

"I'm bored."

Looking away from the window, I turned and met her expectant gaze. "What do you want me to do about it?"

She shrugged and jumped up from the sofa to stand beside me. "What were you drawing?"

I handed her the discarded paper and watched curiously as she assessed my picture, a slight frown tugging at her mouth. "Who's this?"

"My mother." Or rather, my pathetic attempt at drawing Renee. I only had my memories to go on and those were mostly faded glimpses. It bothered me that I could no longer conjure up a clear image of her face, only a general idea of what she had looked like. "Its not even close to the real thing though." I added as she continued to look at the paper her expression unreadable.

Jamie ignored my latter statement. "She looks like you."

I watched her warily as she stared down at the ill made sketch. I knew that Jamie still missed her mom; she had died two years after I came into her life, making Jamie only nine at the time. It had hit her hard and although she tried to hide it, she couldn't conceal the longing in her eyes when she reluctantly released the paper to me.

"I wish I remembered what my mom looked like." She admitted after a few minutes. I bit my lip, unsure of what to say.

"You take after your dad in appearances." I replied quietly, recalling the few times I had seen her mother. "Although you did have her eyes. She had darker hair and was smaller in stature."

"Oh."

There was a silence and I wracked my brain for something to say, but came up blank. Jamie looked out of the dark windows, her expression thoughtful.

"Bella?" Alice poked her head in through the doorway, her soprano voice breaking the silence. "Can I borrow you for a moment?"

I looked to Jamie, wondering if it would be better for me to stay, but Alice shook her head and motioned with her hands for me to follow her.

"I'll be back."

Jamie made no sign that she heard me, although I knew she did, and I hurried out of the room so that I could get my conversation with Alice over with quickly. I didn't want to leave Jamie alone.

Alice took hold of my hand and led me down the hallway, past several other doors and into her bedroom. It was exactly as it had been before, her personality stamped everywhere and no sign that Jasper had even been there. I hid my surprise when I saw Rosalie sitting on the white couch that stood in front of the window and turned to face Alice.

"Could we talk another time? I need to speak with Jamie."

Alice waved off my comment, her eyes sparkling slightly. "She'll be fine."

I narrowed my eyes as a small smirk tugged at the edge of her mouth. I knew that smirk. "What did you see?"

"Nope." She shook her head, smile still in place. "You'll find out later."

I pursed my lips to keep from arguing with her. If she said Jamie would be fine, I had no other choice than to trust her. I learned long ago that you should never bet against Alice.

Instead, I took a seat on the giant circular bed that stood in the middle of the room. A mountain of pillows differing in size, shape, color, and fabric made the task more difficult than it should have been.

"Geeze Alice, what do you need all these pillows for?"

She shrugged daintily and in one swift motion swept them all onto the plush carpet.

"Better?"

"What am I doing here, Alice?" I asked her as I settled onto the edge of her bed, tucking my legs underneath me as I eyed the small vampire warily.

She ignored my question and crawled up beside me, motioning for Rosalie to join us on the bed.

"I'm fine here." She answered.

Alice frowned, but didn't comment, turning her attention back to me.

"We need to talk." She said it so seriously that a sense of foreboding came over me and I found myself nodding reluctantly. I didn't know what she wanted to talk about, but from her tone I could tell I wouldn't enjoy it.

"About what?"

Alice leaned back so that her arms were supporting her weight as she studied me. She tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips, her eyes curious.

"What happened to you?"

"I told you downstairs. I was in a car accident." She shook her head, sending her inky black hair flying.

"You edited. I want to know everything."

"That's a lot to ask for, Alice."

"When have I ever been known for doing things halfway?" She smirked, before her expression became serious once again. "I missed you, Bella. I just want to know what has been going on with you."

"Honestly, there hasn't been much. You've met my family. They have been my life since I've been changed."

"Well what about before you were changed?"

I flinched. Unintentionally of course and it was barely noticeable, but Alice caught it. Of course she did.

She reached out to take my hand in hers. "I'm sorry, Bella."

I didn't meet her gaze as I moved my hands out of her reach and leaned back on my arms, mimicking her previous position. "It's fine, Alice."

She looked as if she were about to argue with me, before she thought better of it and shook her head. "What about Jamie? Where did she come in? From what we understand you met her when she was human."

A small smiled tugged at the corner of my mouth when I thought about Jamie. "I saved her from becoming my brother's meal when she was about seven." I glanced over at Alice to see how she would take this information. "My brother's weren't always vegetarians."

She didn't seem surprised. "The Volturi mentioned something about that."

"Mmm. They came the night we found Jamie, right?"

"Yeah." Her eyes suddenly lit up and her topaz eyes met mine, brimming with curiosity. "Why were you in the area that night anyways?"

I tensed slightly. If there was any question I _didn't _want her to ask it would have been that one. I shifted uncomfortably on her bed, my fingers playing with the fabric on her comforter. I was painfully aware that if it were possible, I would have been blushing.

"I thought you had killed her." I said quietly. Not able to meet her gaze which was fixed steadily on me. "There was so much blood and- and his scent. It was everywhere…" I trailed off, the image of her empty bedroom and the despair I felt when I realized that she was gone overtaking me. I had thought she was dead and what was worse, I thought that it had Edward who had murdered her. My past come back to haunt me.

Alice regained my attention by clearing her throat and my eyes snapped up to meet hers.

"We were able to track you, although it took us a few months before we finally caught up with you." I stopped, not wanting to continue.

"What were you planning on doing once you found us?" She asked once she realized I wasn't going to say anymore.

I didn't answer her, too ashamed to admit it. Instead I posed a question of my own. "What have you really been doing since you left?"

Alice wasn't fooled, but didn't press me.

However, she didn't answer my question either, my only response was a shake of her head. "It's not my decision to tell you." She seemed slightly irritated as she said this.

"Who's is it?"

"Edward's, but he'll tell you when he's ready." Rosalie snorted from her position on the couch and I jumped slightly. I had forgotten she was in the room.

Alice glared at her, a warning clear in her eyes. She noticed my scrutiny and smiled tightly.

"One more question."

-x-

"Michael, have you seen Jamie?" I questioned as I took a seat beside him on the couch in the Cullens' living room. After two hours I was finally able to extradite myself from Alice's grasp and I wanted to find Jamie. I glanced down at Michael, who had a rather large book on his lap, which I assumed he borrowed from Jasper's study.

He looked up and smiled at me, before placing a marker in his book and setting it aside. "She and Matthew left about an hour ago to go fetch Emmett and Anthony. They should have been back by now." He smirked and then shook his head. "I'll bet you anything that they're encouraging those two in their stupid competition."

"I wouldn't put it past her." I paused. "Did she look upset to you?"

Michael frowned. "No. She seemed fine when they left, why?"

My eyebrows creased in confusion and I bit my lip before answering him. "I may have said something to distress her earlier. I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

"Jamie's a big girl, Bella. She's pretty tough. Whatever you said to upset her, I'm sure she's over it by now."

I wasn't convinced, but pushed the thought out of my mind. As long as she wasn't alone at the moment then I could talk to her when she returned.

I turned to Michael eying the large book beside him curiously. "What were you reading?"

He lifted up the book and flashed me the title.

"Ah. Sounds…" I struggled to find an appropriate word. "Informative."

He chuckled lightly. "Yeah, well you would be surprised at how many books in the library are on this subject." I knew what he was talking about. I had been in Jasper's study a few times during the summer I had spent here.

"I prefer fiction myself."

"That doesn't surprise me."

"After seven years it shouldn't." He frowned slightly.

"Can you really believe it has only been seven years?" Michael asked, incredulous. "Seems much longer."

I smirked. "You haven't been out of the forest much, of course if would seem longer to you."

"What seems longer?" Daniel asked as he glided into the room and took the seat beside me on the couch.

"Time." Michael answered.

Daniel looked confused. "Well it is eternity."

-x-

"Hah!" Emmett yelled as he barreled through the front door, causing me to jump as the door slammed into the wall. "I win!"

"You cheated!" Anthony hissed as he stormed in after him, his eyes narrowed. "You pushed me into a tree!"

"So?" Emmett asked, finding nothing wrong with that fact. I rolled my eyes.

"So that's cheating!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"You just can't admit the fact that I'm better than you." A smug smirk made its way across his face.

"Are not. You cheated." Anthony growled. I heard peals of laughter from behind them and I watched in amusement as Jamie and Matthew came tumbling inside looking as if they might pass out from laughter.

"How long has this been going on?" I asked, eying my brother warily as Emmett continued taunting him. Anthony doesn't take well to losing.

"Hours." Matthew managed to choke out.

"And they're still at it?" Jamie nodded and pursed her lips as she tried to calm herself down.

"Neither one of them can accept losing." She gasped. I sighed angrily. Damn Jasper for starting all of this.

"You did not win!" Anthony roared, before pouncing on top of Emmett, sending them flying into the coffee table in the living room. The resounding crash and shattering of glass attracted the attention of the other vampires in the house who managed to appear a moment later- Esme's horrified form ahead of them all.

I watched as she struggled for words, her mouth opening and closing as her eyes flashed with rage. I had never seen an angry Esme before and I was positive I never wanted to again.

She was downright frightening.

"BOYS!"

The effect was almost immediate, Esme's yelling surprised the two enough so that they paused in their attacking. When Emmett noticed his adoptive mother's fury he stood up immediately, pushing Anthony off of him in the process, and gave her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry Mom?" It came out as a question.

Anthony scrambled up to his feet, confused, but looking no less scared then his cohort. I bit back a smile, finding it strangely amusing how those two could be frightened by a vampire half their size.

"No more." She warned, the anger apparent in her tawny eyes. "No more competitions. No more wrestling, no more racing, no more throwing trees. Not here, in my house, near my things."

The boys nodded, chastised.

Rosalie glowered at her husband, her arms folded across her chest. "And you're supposed to be how old?"

"Clean this up." Esme ordered before turning towards Alice. "Do you think you would be able to…" Alice held up her hand.

"I already ordered it a few hours ago. With rush delivery it should be here by morning." Esme nodded gratefully before heading towards the closet to get a broom for the boys to sweep up the mess they had made of the living room.

I took the opportunity to scan the room, and noticed with confusion that not quite everybody was present. Frowning slightly, I wondered why Edward hadn't come down with the others before a wave of guilt swept over me. I hadn't seen him since we had first arrived at the house and I knew that it was partly my fault. Since I had arrived here yesterday he hadn't spoken much, and when he had it was in anger.

Was he avoiding his family because of me? They had invited us to stay.

Or was he just avoiding _me_?

I could understand. The situation was awkward enough, seeing him again. But staying in his home?

I felt as if I was intruding and his retreat into his room made it apparent how much he didn't want to see me. However with the battle looming over our heads, it would be unwise to leave the situation unchecked. If we were going to be fighting together, I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable, but I wasn't sure I wanted to talk to him either.

I glanced around the room, finding everyone else in their own conversations, not really paying any attention to my presence. Matthew was currently apologizing to Carlisle for the coffee table, while Esme and Rosalie supervised Emmett and Anthony cleaning up the debris. Alice met my gaze for one fleeting moment, before continuing her discussion with Jasper and Ethan.

Secure in the knowledge that no one would miss me, I slipped out of the room unnoticed and headed up towards the third floor.

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**Am I evil or what? Is this next chapter the conversation you have all been waiting for? You have to review to find out.**

* * *

But anyways, I'm back and happy to report that I was not attacked by sharks or stung to death by jellyfish while I was away and only had one near death experience.

But enough about my trip, you probably don't want to hear about the two Asian men who mooned me on the Fourth of July…

I must apologize for the long wait between chapters, but at least I have it up. As I near the end of the story, I'm finding it harder to get the words out on paper, so please don't get too frustrated with me.

On another note, I have a poll up regarding Jamie's mate. And just to clear things up, she's fourteen, but I'm telling you now, age doesn't matter. I mean, people used to get married at the age of eight and had children while they were still kids themselves.

Not that I agree with that, just giving you a history lesson as I prepare myself for school, which is rapidly approaching at a frightening pace.

Where did my summer go?!

… Oh yeah. I spent it on the Internet.

Reading Twilight Fan Fiction.

But anyways, to further my argument that Jamie is not too young to eventually have a mate- I say eventually because she can't fall in love after a few days (despite the fact that my chosen argument was to bring up the fact that Juliet was only thirteen when she married Romeo and they married the day after they met…)

**Whatever. My point is any of the brothers are fair game****  
**

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_R__eview or the Volturi will hunt you down._

_Yeah, that's right. I have Jane on speed dial._

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	32. Chapter Thirty

_You can put down those torches and pitchforks, I'm back._

_I think I'm going to save the apologies for later. You probably just want to read this anyways._

_I'm really nervous about the beginning and I hope you aren't disappointed in this.__ I know that this isn't the best chapter or anything, but I've rewritten it so many times I finally just said 'screw it' and I'm posting this chapter.  
_

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**Chapter Thirty-**

_Not Good. Not Good. Not Good._

What was I doing here? Why did I have to come? It wasn't necessary. No one expected it of me. No one forced me to seek him out. It was my own stupid fault.

That just made it all the more pathetic.

I kept my eyes locked on my feet, trying to at least give the idea of composure. His eyes fell heavily on me as they bored into the side of my head. My hair fell over my shoulder, creating a small curtain between us as I nervously played with my fingers. Hiding. I was hiding. _Coward. _My feet were cemented to the floor and I felt helpless.

_Run!_

I didn't like it, but I couldn't bring myself to move from the familiar black couch. I couldn't reconcile my body's motions to my mind's commands.

Powerless. For the first time since my change, I felt _weak_.

"Bella? Bella, _please_." Desperation.

I didn't look up. I wasn't sure what I would do if I did.

How had this _happened_?

We were just talking. Stiff and formal and unnervingly polite, but we had been talking! And now I couldn't even look in his general direction, let alone speak. Downstairs, I could hear the laughter of the others as Emmett told some story or another. It didn't seem right. Out of place that there could be laughter when all I wanted was for the world to swallow me whole.

I didn't hear him approach me and I started when I felt the cushion beside me sag underneath his weight; my panic swelling as his hands grasped mine, clutching them tightly.

"Say something." He whispered.

_Too close. Too close. Too close._

I wrenched my hands out of his and moved to the other side of the room before he had the chance to blink. My skin burned from where he had touched me and I shook my head slowly.

"Don't." I whispered. I almost felt nauseous.

"Bella-"

"No! Just don't say anything. I don't think I can handle anymore lies."

Lies. All of it. Everything I had believed, all that I had thought, all of my _pain_. It was all because of his lies.

He misunderstood. "What will it take to make you believe that I _do _love you? I always have!"

I recoiled. Wrong.

I wanted to hear that he hated me. That he no more cared whether he saw me again then he cared about all the other girls who had chased after him over the years. I wanted to hear that he cared _more _for Tanya, Jessica, and whoever else tried to get him. I wanted him to say that he never wanted to see me again.

And yet, I didn't. Because for some godforsaken reason I just _knew_ that if he did say those things, it would destroy me.

And I hated him for it.

I didn't _want_ to feel this way. I didn't want to think of him like this. I didn't want to think of him at _all_.

He had lied to me. He said he _loved_ me.

I didn't want to believe it. I would have preferred to believe he was lying.

Lying was easy. Lying was safe.

The truth hurt.

But I had made the mistake of looking into those eyes. Those damnable topaz eyes!

How were they any different from the others? Emmett, Jasper, my brothers, Carlisle- they all had the same eyes and never once had they made me feel so…

What did I feel?

Well if I knew that I wouldn't still be here right now.

"What are you thinking?" He murmured, almost too quietly that I didn't hear the question.

My stomach tightened and anger welled up inside of me.

"Damn it Edward! I just came here to talk to you! I didn't want anything else, I wasn't _looking_ for anything else!"

His face was unreadable. His eyes belied his pain.

"Seven years. I'm not sure you understand how painful that was for me. What I went through- How could you lie to me? It killed me when you left!"

"I'm sorry," He whispered hoarsely. "I didn't think- if I had _known_."

His mask fell and his face crumpled into beautiful devastation. I felt a moment of regret. It passed quickly. I shook my head and my eyes glanced around the room desperately. I needed to get out of here. I needed to get away from this. From him.

"I have to go."

Without waiting for an answer, I sprinted out into the hallways and down the stairs, taking the back door to avoid the crowd in the living room, and out into the night.

I needed to hunt.

-x-

"Bella?"

His voice was soft, tentative as it broke through the small piece of quiet I had managed to create for myself. I hadn't been able to return to the house. I _couldn't_ return to the house.

"Not now Daniel."

He ignored me. I should have felt annoyed, but I couldn't work up enough energy to care. He sat down beside me, mimicking my position as he rested his head on his knees. He didn't say anything, however, and I continued seething in silence.

Seven years. Seven _fucking_ years. It was because of him- his lies – that it had been so hard to breathe. It was because of him that I had been suffering and it was because of him that I had been subject to the heart wrenching pain that came with losing your other half.

But I had survived it. I had a new family, I had my best friend, and I had a new life. I had moved on. Only to find out that Edward loved me- has always loved me.

Bastard.

"You've been gone for hours." Daniel whispered quietly. His voice was soft, a sharp contrast to my agitated thoughts.

I didn't respond.

"We were worried about you." I felt his eyes on my face, but I didn't turn to look at him, preferring to keep my eyes locked on blades of grass. "Jasper and I were having a hard time keeping everyone calm. It was irresponsible to go off alone like this."

"I'm a big girl, Daniel." I said irritably. "I can take care of myself."

"You know that it's not safe. With that crazy vampire and her newborn army on the loose, you might have been killed."

I sighed. I wasn't in the mood for a lecture.

"What were you doing out here anyways?"

"The house was becoming too crowded." I muttered, knowing that the explanation wouldn't be enough, but unwilling to share anything else with him. I just wanted to be alone.

He didn't respond, but I could feel him watching me.

"You were upstairs for a long time." He said after a few moments, breaking through my frantic thoughts.

"Yeah." I mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

"Bella."

"What?"

"Did he hurt you?" He sounded angry.

I sat up quickly. Surprised. "What? No!"

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not!"

"Then why are you feeling so hurt? It's never been this bad before Bella. Not for months."

I couldn't meet his eyes. He moved closer to me.

"What happened?" Daniel placed a tentative hand on my shoulder. I shrugged it off and stood up from my place on the grass.

"Nothing." There was no way in hell I was going to discuss this with him. With anyone.

"I think you forget sometimes, Bella." He murmured lowly. "I think you forget that you're not alone anymore. You don't always have to be so brave." I heard the grass shift as he stood up.

"I know what you're feeling Bella. You can't just shut us out like this." He paused for a moment. "You can't just shut _him_ out like this."

I whirled around, surprised. "_What?_"

He shook his head. "Just think about it. You've been unhappy for far too long."

And then he was gone and I was left in a greater state of confusion then before.

_Great._

-x-

They knew.

At first I thought I was being paranoid, that maybe it was all in my head.

It wasn't.

I'm not quite sure what it was that tipped me off. What tipped _them_ off was no doubt Alice, who was looking more then a little guilty. Jamie looked pissed.

Needless to say I didn't stick around too long.

"Where are you going?"

Jamie followed me into the dark.

"To hunt."

She grabbed my arm. "You just went hunting."

"Well I need to go again."

She hesitated before her hand loosened its grip. "Let me come with you."

"No, Jamie." I couldn't look at her. "I need to be alone right now."

"You can't. What about Victoria?"

"I'll be fine, Jamie. I won't be too long."

And then I took off into the darkness, my best friend silhouetted against the night, leaving everything behind me.

If only for a time.

* * *

_Is it safe to come out?_

_I know it's been six months give or take a few days. I'd say I was sorry, which I am, but I know that it doesn't really do any good at this point. What can I say? Between school, writer's block, NaNoWriMo and my inability to stay focused, this story got put on my backburner. I've rewritten this chapter so many times, but enough was enough and I couldn't keep you guys waiting any longer._

_... Do I still have any of you left?_

_I thank you for your patience and for not throwing rocks at me. For your reviews and your PMs. I've recieved like eight in the past week and I finally posted. Tell me what you think, the battle is up next._

_(And I promise I won't pull a Breaking Dawn. There will be a battle.)_

_

* * *

  
_


	33. Chapter Thirty One

World's Worst Updater reporting for duty!

First off, I want to say Hello to all of my readers who have stuck around for this long...

Hello. I am amazed your attention span is as long as it is.

And secondly, my excuses, which will come later.

I'm really nervous about this chapter and I pray to God I've done it justice.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-One –**

When I was five, my mother took me to see Santa in the Macy's department store. We stood in line for hours with several other children and their parents crowded around us in an effort to see the big man himself before the store closed shop for the night. Renee had been doing some last minute Christmas shopping when she had seen the flyers and determined that this would be the year I got my picture taken with jolly old Saint Nick. We hadn't had dinner yet and we were starving, but she had already set her mind to it and we waited diligently for our turn in the big red chair. When my turn finally came, a girl dressed in an elf costume picked me up beneath my armpits and set me down in the lap of a giant red man with cotton growing off of his face. He bellowed out his "Merry Christmas!" and "Ho! Ho! Ho!"s and I ended up screaming and kicking and biting until Renee finally took me away from the scene. They weren't able to get the picture. Instead of being angry with me, Renee took me out for McDonald's and we stuffed ourselves with french fries and had our picture taken inside the play pen.

I couldn't actually remember the night. I could hardly remember any of my human life, let alone my childhood. Renee had placed the photo of her and I in a Christmas card along with a recap of the nights events to Charlie. Michael had found the card among some of Charlie's old photographs in one of the boxes he had kept in the hall closet.

There were probably hundreds of old photos in there. Pictures that he had taken during my summer visits. Pictures Renee must have sent him over the years. I had gone through all of them, trying to drudge up my faintest memories to the surface. Anything from my human life that I might cling on to.

But all I could see was him. All I could _remember_ was him.

The only clear memory I have of my mother is her bent over my hospital bed after James' attack and even then I only had eyes for him. When I thought that I had had all the time in the world for her, I was all too ready to cast her aside for the beautiful boy feigning sleep at the foot of my bed. I was naive then. I thought we had had forever.

I knew better now.

Or at least, I thought I did.

It was too much to take in. Seeing the Cullens again. Charlie's death. Victoria's return.

Edward's… Lies.

Who lies about something like that?

He _knew_ what leaving would do to me.

He had to have known.

I had _loved_ him.

He had loved me. _Loves_ me.

The thought sent my head spinning and my venom boiling.

Not for the first time since I've reunited with the Cullens, I felt confused and out of control.

Why should he claim to love me?

Why should I _trust_ him? Everything he told me before was a lie. What made tonight any different?

I longed for a way to just make time stop, just for a few moments, and for sleep to take over me as it once had. I stood up slowly from my place on the floor of Charlie's living room and made my way slowly up the stairs. As light as my footsteps were, the stairs still creaked underneath my feet. It was as comforting as it was disturbing.

Time stood still in this house.

My old room was dark and dusty, reminding me just how much I had hurt my father when I disappeared. I doubt he had come into this room at all since my accident. Like the creaking stairs, the floorboards were warped and groaned with each step I took.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

_Thump. Thump. Thud._

I paused and looked down at my feet. Taking a step back and then stomping my left foot down hard, I listened.

_Thud!_

It was hallow.

Curious, I leaned down and trailed the edges of the plank with the tips of my fingers. The wood felt rough and the splinters cracked beneath the slightest pressure. Looking closely, I could see scrapings on the corner of the plank, slight indentations running along the topmost edges. I gripped the edge and dug my fingernails into the grooves before pulling.

It _was_ hallow, but it wasn't empty.

I set the plank down beside me before reaching for what looked like scraps of paper. The first two papers were plane tickets for Jacksonville, Florida, dated the year of my change. The hazy image of Renee standing over my hospital bed in Phoenix made my heart clench in longing. I could never go back to her. I could never see her again.

I laid the tickets aside and lifted up the last paper from the pile. It was sturdier than the tickets. I turned it over and almost dropped it in surprise.

Not a paper.

A photo.

A photo of me and Edward.

My hands were unsteady as I stared down at the glossy print. The photo didn't do him justice, but it still managed to capture some of his glory. It looked as though it had been taken in Charlie's living room. He and I were standing side by side, both of us looking wretched. My shoulders were slumped forward and my arm was wrapped around his waste tightly. I peered closely at the image and noticed that my fist was clutching on to his shirt. Holding him in place, I assumed. Edward's face was stoic, though he had his arm folded over my shoulder. His mouth was set in a grim line and his glorious eyes were tired.

A stabbing pain ripped through my chest and the picture shook furiously in my hands, distorting the image in my mind. I remembered that night.

I remembered the days after.

Edward was a good liar.

Anger took over and my hand clenched around the photo, crumpling it into my palm. I cast it off towards the wall.

I couldn't hate him then. You can't hate someone for not loving you.

But, lying?

Lying was grounds for anything.

I glanced back down at the hole. There was a camera and an old Cd. Though I had no recollection of either items, I had a sneaking suspicion of what I could find on the latter.

My arm shook as I reached out for the disk. It would be so easy to crush the plastic into dust.

Part of me wanted to.

The last tangible proof I had that Edward loved me. It would make everything that much easier. He wouldn't have any hold on me then. His lies would take care of the rest.

I stood slowly and approached my desk. I think that's where my CD player would have been. I couldn't remember listening to anything after he had left me in this godforsaken town. I dug through my drawers until I found my old walkman. It was so outdated that I had to smile. No one listened to these anymore. I think I might have been one of the only people listening to it then.

I carefully snapped the CD into place and placed the headphones over my ears. The disk wound around once and the number one appeared in bold, digitized text. I pressed the play button and sunk down against the wall as first key echoed through the ear pieces.

It began slowly and I closed my eyes, allowing the music to wash over me. The light keys intermingling with the lower notes gave the song a melancholic air. And as the tempo gradually rose, I imagined how his hands must have looked as they danced across the keys. As the song swelled and the notes became lighter once more, it grew hopeful, almost happy. Knowing that this song was mine, my own lullaby, and that Edward had written it with me in mind made my heart stir. I tried to remember how much he had hurt me and attempted to rekindle my ire, but it was near impossible as I continued listening and remembering.

Long after the song had stopped, I continued to sit there. I felt silly that so many years later, the song still affected me. I must have played it over a thousand times in my head during the last few years. Trying to remember the notes and the sound. Attempting to recapture a simpler time. I knew that I was only hurting myself in the long run, but during those nights when Daniel and the others weren't enough, it soothed me. A constant reminder that maybe, at one point in time, he did care.

Now I wasn't sure what to make of it.

A ghastly howl broke the silence.

I started, causing the walkman to fly across the floor. I ripped the headphones off of my head and scrambled to my feet. The howl was quickly followed by two or three more and I wasted no time racing down the stairs and out the back door.

The howls continued and I followed them through the forest, leaping over fallen logs and dashing in between the trees. The forest was black, but I maneuvered my way easily through the brush. As I grew closer to its origin, the howling seem to grow more urgent and instead of coming from the north, seemed to come at me from all sides. I realized that the direction I was headed for was the clearing and as I drew nearer, I could make out the screeches and cries of more than just the werewolves.

The battle had begun.

Dozens of nameless faces filled the old baseball field. There wasn't a place in the clearing devoid of activity and though I knew we were evenly matched with the wolves on our side, I felt that it wasn't enough. If someone died today because of me, I don't think I would have been able to forgive myself.

The first person I recognized when I entered the clearing was Jasper. He was standing no more than three feet away from Alice and lunging at any vampire who came too close. Alice looked slightly put out every time this happened, but when she tried to help him he snarled and she pulled back.

I pulled my eyes away from them when I heard a snarl from behind me. Whirling around, I came face to face to with a pair of startling red eyes. Not even a moment later, the vampire lunged forward and I barely managed to side-step him. He landed roughly, but regained his balance quickly. A growl stirred in my chest as he came at me once more. This time I was prepared for it and as he fell past me, I grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back. Before he could fight back, I twisted my hands around his neck and ripped it off.

The thrashing body fell limp in my arms and I dropped it quickly, making a mental note to burn the body later.

"Nice one, Bells!" Anthony boomed from across the way. I searched the hordes of creatures until I caught sight of his bulking frame near the edge of the trees. In his arm he held the head of what must have been another vampire. The body lay unmoving at his feet.

"Two!"

Emmett's voice echoed from a few yards away. Anthony cursed and quickly dropped the head before taking off towards a tall blond in the center of the clearing. The vampire in question had his back turned and didn't hear him until it was too late. Anthony disposed of him quickly.

"Three!"

With a nod in my direction, Anthony took off through the darkness. I didn't have time to figure out his behavior before a loud screech filled my ears and two blurs tumbled out from behind the bushes. A tangled mess of limbs struggled no more than three feet away from me and it took me a moment before I recognized Jamie pinned to the ground. Panic and rage battled for dominance as I lunged forward pulling the vampire off of her. Caught off guard, she snarled and ripped her nails over my bare shoulders as she struggled to break free. I hissed and ripped one of her arms off and she shrieked in pain, her body flailing around more violently. Jamie reached forward and put an end to her screams as she wrenched the newborn's head clear off her shoulders. Immediately the body slacked beneath me and Jamie's hand appeared in front of me. I took it, wincing slightly as my arms clenched.

"You made it!"

"Was there any doubt?"

A large gray wolf rushed past us into the opening, a roar erupting from deep within his chest as he joined the fray. Jamie's eyes scanned over the clearing, settling on an unforeseen point before she turned her head back to me.

"No. I knew you would come back."

"I'm sure you're the only one."

She bit her lip. "There was some doubt, but someone–"

"Look out!"

The warning came from Alice. We swerved around to see her lunging for a fair-haired vampire and knocking her to the ground. Blindsided, the girl didn't stand a chance against Alice's fury as she ruthlessly began ripping off each limb before tearing her head clean off.

"Jasper Hale, I could _kill_ you!" She hissed, standing up and brushing the dirt from her hands. "You can't fight everyone on your own!"

The man in question had just finished off his own adversary and turned his attention to his wife. His jaw was set and his pupils were black.

"I'll be fine."

She let out a frustrated cry and clenched her fists at her side. "That she-devil almost had you!" She clenched her teeth. "You. Need. Help."

"Not from you, Alice." He growled. "I need you to stay behind me."

"I can fight!"

"No."

Jasper turned away then and took up his post as her personal bodyguard once more. Alice stared daggers at him through narrowed eyes.

There were bodies everywhere, severed heads littering the grounds like weeds. I searched the hoards of figures for familiar faces. The wolves, though unknown to me, were easy enough to see as they worked in tangent with one another, herding one or two newborns at a time into a corner where they would begin their attacks. Rosalie had been backed against a tree as she tried to fight off two oncoming vampires. She was struggling to keep them at bay when a russet colored wolf broke ranks from the others and took out one of her assailants. She looked more annoyed than anything else, but nodded towards the wolf in acknowledgement. Joshua and Ethan worked together to overcome one of the larger newborns and even Esme seemed to hold her own.

But as each face passed by, I couldn't find the one that was plaguing my conscious. Carlisle, Michael, Daniel… They were all there.

Where was Edward?

"He's not here." Jamie said, watching my face carefully.

"What?"

"Edward," She said, her face twisting. "He took off after some red headed vampire."

Victoria.

"Which direction?"

She pointed towards the west and I took off into the trees. The roar of the battle going on behind me faded into the background as I caught wind of Edward's scent. It was strong and covered a fainter, lighter scent. Sickeningly sweet and so like my own, I snarled as I thrashed my way through the brush.

She was here.

So close. She was _so close_.

Victoria. The reason that we were all congregated here tonight. The reason that my family and friends had to risk their lives to keep the humans safe an unaware. To keep me alive.

They shouldn't have to fight for me.

I shouldn't have to be protected.

The day that I met them, I became the weak one. I was too fragile. Incapable of handling all of the big scary things in the world. Seventeen years of life couldn't possibly prepare me for what awaited me in the dark forest of Forks or the pebbled streets of Italy. The day he introduced me to his family, the weeks we spent on the run from James, leaving me at the edge of the forest– it was all to protect me, because I was unable to protect myself.

No more.

Edward couldn't fight my battles for me any longer.

There were voices just beyond the trees; I could hear them as I drew closer. The waves of the ocean crashed heavily against the shore and as I pulled into the opening of the trees, I could see her.

She was crouched down, resting on the forefront of her fingers. Her fiery hair thrashed around her face as the the wind rolled off of the sea. Her clothes were torn and and the hem of her shorts frayed. A feral kind of beauty, enchanting as she was horrifying.

Her face twisted into an awful smile as a lyrical cackle escaped her lips.

"I guess I've misjudged you."

Edward's slinking form stood ready, waiting for her next move.

A few feet away from them stood another vampire. Tall and with the face of someone not much older than my physical self, the boy was watching their interaction attentively, anger crossing his features with every movement Edward made towards Victoria.

"I can hear you, Riley." Edward said, nodding slightly towards his direction, never taking his eyes off of Victoria.

She lunged forward, but he sidestepped her attack, creating distance between them. He kept them both in his line of sight.

"She's lying to you…"

Another lunge. Another miss.

"Yes, she is." He continued, responding to something he must have heard. "She lied to the others. What makes you any different?"

The newborn's face contorted.

"Don't listen to him." Victoria spat.

Lunge. Miss.

"She's incapable of loving you." He said.

Lunge. Miss.

"She's incapable of loving anyone. Her mate, James, he died years ago. All that's left of her is hatred."

Victoria's enraged howl filled the area as she lunged forward once more. Edward managed to evade her again.

By now he had his back to the cliffs, Victoria's attacks slowly drawing him into a corner. On his left stood Riley and on the right Victoria. If he recognized the immediate danger he was now in, he didn't show it. I took a step forward into the open, making use of my power and slipping out of sight as I moved towards them.

"How dare you say his name!" She hissed. "_You_ killed him. _You_ and your precious human! For eight god forsaken years I've waited for this day. A day when I would be able to avenge him. Your human may have been able to escape me, but today, today I begin my revenge. She's out there somewhere, turned. I thought _she_ might have been with you, that you had finally decided to change her, but here I am and she's no where to be found."

"Bella's dead." Edward said. "My family and I haven't seen her since the funeral."

"Lies." She spat. "You may have saved her from James, but I'll never stop searching. Long after you're dead, I will hunt her, I will find her, and I _will_ destroy her."

Edward roared and lunged for Victoria's throat, but Riley crashed into him, knocking him to the ground. His hands went for his neck, but Edward bit down on his arm, sending Rylee reeling. He took the opportunity to slip out of his grasp. Unable to beat him in strength, Edward had to rely on his experience to get past Riley. Victoria delighted in his distraction and made a move to attack him from behind, but I snarled and tackled her away from the two.

"–the hell!" She howled, but I had already ripped off her left arm.

She thrashed about frantically, bringing the heel of her foot into my stomach and sent me flying into the cliff. The impact my body made against the rock left a decent sized hole, but I wasn't hurt. Victoria scrambled to her feet and scanned the place I had landed with frantic eyes.

"Show yourself!"

I pulled myself off of the ground, laughing quietly. "Of course."

She started when I appeared before her, but her astonishment lasted but a moment before rage filled her once more.

"_You!_" She shrieked, and leapt for me. I disappeared and moved to her right.

She landed somewhat ungracefully, as she attempted to regain her balance with only one of her arms, and whirled around so that her back was to the cliffs. Her eyes were wild and she scanned the beach for me.

I laughed darkly and she lunged in my general area, but I had already moved behind her.

"Coward! Why don't you face me?"

"Coward am I?"

She whipped around charging blindly in my direction, only to meet with air.

"I'm not the one who went after defenseless humans."

Charge. Miss.

"I'm not the one who manipulates others into doing my dirty work."

Charge. Miss.

She landed mere inches away from me. Unsteady on her feet and desperate as she vainly looked for me only to come up with air.

Edward and Riley were almost finished. Riley's senseless attacks had nothing on Edward's skillful maneuvering. In vain did he try to convince the newborn to give up and in vain did Riley try to catch him. He was tiring, his eyes black with thirst and rage. It was only a matter of time before he would be unable to fight and Edward would be forced to finish him off. Edward on the other hand seemed preoccupied himself, as he spared glances in our direction his eyes narrowing at Victoria and scanning for what I can only assume to be myself. His eyes managed to land on me for a moment, but they never stayed on me long as Riley made another futile attempt to attack him.

She chuckled breathlessly. "You're family is out there fighting for you right now. You're precious pet was fighting me moments ago. You're _father_ tried fighting me, too. Face it, Isabella, you're no better than I am."

Blind rage filled me then, and a snarl ripped from my chest as I lunged forward and pinned her to the cliffs. One hand was wrapped tightly around her neck and the other pinned down her right arm. My shield fell and her panicked eyes met my own.

"We are _nothing_ alike."

My teeth sank into her neck and she let out a gut-wrenching shriek of pain before I tore her head clear off. Her body sunk to the ground, but I didn't release my hold on her as I continued ripping her to pieces. All I could see was black. _Rrrrrip_. Her leg was gone. _Crrrrunch. _Her arm was dust. I didn't stop until I had dismantled every piece and crushed every bone. Nothing I did was enough. Nothing that I could have done would have been what she deserved. I wanted to bring her back just to kill her all over again. Finally my hands stilled as they ripped into what was left of the fabric of her shirt and I fell onto my hands and began shaking. Venom pooled in my eyes, but tears that would have been never fell. My stomach lurched into my throat and I felt physically sick. I spat venom into the dirt and my insides convulsed as I dry heaved. But there was nothing to bring up. Nothing that sat inside of my stomach. So I just knelt there in the earth and continued shaking and sobbing and dry heaving until there was nothing left inside of me and even then I wasn't able to stop. There was only the waves as they crashed against the shore and the crackling of a fire nearby. I didn't notice or care when Edward made his appearance at my side. I didn't try to fight him as he pulled me into his arms and I couldn't hear what he was saying to me as I continued convulsing. I just buried myself within his embrace and cried.

I didn't know how long we stayed like that, but when I had finally mastered myself, I pulled away from him quickly, muttered something unintelligible and picked myself up off the ground. He mimicked my movements and in silence we began to pick up what remained of Victoria and tossed her into the fire. Purple smoke rose high into the night sky and I wrapped my arms around myself as I watched her burn.

It was over.

"Bella." Edward whispered softly. I looked over to where he was standing only a few feet away from me. "I'm…"

He stopped.

"Me too."

He took a step towards me, but then thought better of it, his despondent eyes meeting my own.

"I just–"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off as Alice's cries filled the forest.

"Jasper, no!"

* * *

_Please don't kill me._

_Okay, time for my excuses. Would you buy that I've been busy?_

_Like, the busiest I've ever been in my life, kind of busy?_

_No?_

_What about pirates? Or zombies?_

_Or _zombie pirates_?_

_Yeah. That's it._

_I was abducted by zombie pirates. That's why I couldn't get this chapter to you sooner._

_What can you do?_

_On another note, HOLY ****! Have you seen those reviews?_

_You guys are _amazing!

_Do you think you can break one thousand?_

_I want to thank all of you that have stuck with me on this story. There should be about three(?) more chapters left including(?) the epilogue._

_Please leave me thoughts on the chapter, I'd love to hear what you think._

_(I'll have the next chapter out as soon as possible... Unless the zombie pirates abduct me again.)_

_-Kaylee1038  
_


	34. Chapter Thirty Two

A/N:_ Damn those Zombie Pirates._

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**Chapter Thirty-Two –**

The Cullen house, for all of its grandeur, was never meant to accommodate as many vampires as it had for the few days that we had been here. And though it had been our intention to leave as soon as we had taken care of Victoria, the events of the night before proved our swift departure impossible.

Alice's screams still haunted me, even though somewhere below, I could hear the beginnings of another piece, the soft sounds the keys made as Edward blended together the end of Esme's Song and the first chords of Claire de Lune. He had been playing since we returned to the house and in the midst of the chaos, did his part to soothe our scrambled emotions.

For myself, it had no effect, as nothing could erase the heart-wrenching sight of Jamie sprawled across the forest floor. By the time that Edward and I arrived in the clearing, the wolves had already begun to burn the remains of the newborns and Matthew was at her side. Jasper stood mere feet away, his expression twisted into a painful grimace, with Alice and Esme hovering beside him. The former's eyes were lit up with fury, while the latter stared down at Jamie's broken body in anguish. The moment my eyes alighted on her still form, the composure I had so recently gained by the cliffs came crashing down. I fell to my knees at her head, gently resting it on my lap and whispered words I couldn't bother to recall now. She had crescent shaped scars, so like the one I bore on my wrist, running up and down her shoulders and neck. Her legs had been torn off and lay useless beside her. She was screaming in agony and her eyes were pinched shut.

Even now, hours later, she still hadn't stopped her screaming, though there were times when her eyes would find mine and I could see the apologies swimming behind the pain. In these rare moments of clarity, I would take her hand in mine and she would clench it tightly, crushing, but not damaging the bones beneath. It was during these times that Matthew would draw near and take his position on her left. Initially all of my brothers had been in the room, sitting and watching, but as the hours dragged on, Carlisle said that it would be better if the room weren't so crowded.

There were only three of us now, though Jasper never moved from his position by the window. I tried not to be angry with him to little effect. In some ways, his presence helped as he used the best of his ability to ease Jamie's torture, but with each whimper that left her lips, I couldn't help but wish that it was him lying in this bed instead of her. Sometimes, I thought he felt the same way.

~*~

"Bella."

"No."

It was the second time they had sent him to me. I wasn't sure what they thought it would accomplish other than pushing my patience past its limit. I had no time for his antics. Maybe it was their attempt to relieve me from my vigil. Alice had been up here earlier, trying to coax us out of the room. Matthew eventually capitulated after she directed him to where he could be of more use. Her attempts on myself were futile and she hardly spared a word for Jasper, leaving him to brood silently in the corner.

"If it means anything," She said, pausing in the doorway. "She's going to be okay."

But I already knew that. Her reassurances meant nothing to me as Jamie continued to writhe beneath the sheets. Carlisle came every few hours to check on her, but after seeing the stumps of her legs and the gashes along her side, I averted my eyes when he pulled back the covers.

"It's been two days." He pressed, bringing me back to the present.

I had seen and ignored every vampire in the house, but for Edward who kept his post diligently at his piano, even now sending its melody ringing through the halls. The others had learned to leave well enough alone. Or so I had thought.

"Go away."

Emmett leaned forward in his chair and reached for my hand. I didn't pull away, but it lay limply in his palm. His fingers closed gently around my own.

"We're worried about you."

"I'm fine." Jamie let out a small whimper and my eyes flew to her face.

"No you're not."

"Yes," I pulled my hand away from his. "I am."

Emmett turned his back to me. "Jasper?"

He looked up.

"Is she fine?"

"Knock it off, Emmett." I growled. He ignored me.

"Well, is she?"

Jasper said nothing.

"_Jasper."_

There was a prolonged silence. I didn't look at either of them, preoccupying myself with straightening the sheets, securing them beneath Jamie's arms. Jasper turned back towards the window.

"I wouldn't know."

My hands stilled for a moment, before smoothing Jamie's hair from her face. She wasn't shaking so much now though her eyes remained unfocused.

"Fat lot of help you are." He grumbled, rising from his chair. To myself, "I may not be an empath, but I know enough to know that 'fine' isn't an emotion." And with a final look towards Jasper, he left.

We sat there in silence. It was the first time he had spoken since we arrived back at the house, everyone leaving him to himself while I could barely escape their endless chattering. It only managed to fuel my anger. If it hadn't been for his carelessness, Jamie wouldn't be in this position. None of us would be. My hands clenched into the sheets, my nails ripping through the fabric.

"Why do you stay?"

It took me a moment before I recognized the voice as my own. It was even longer before I realized that he wasn't going to answer.

"Why do you stay?" I repeated, angling myself so that I could see him in my peripheral vision.

He back was stiff, his jaw locked tight, steeling himself.

"Why do you sit in that chair, staring out that godforsaken window? Why can't you go somewhere else? _Anywhere_ else?"

"Stop." He growled, startling me.

"Why were you being so careless? _You_ the _great war _hero." I hissed. "You should have been watching her. It's _your_ fault she's like this."

I knew I crossed a line. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that I was just being cruel. That when I regained control over my emotions I would regret this. But here, now, it seemed like the right thing to say. And damn it, it felt good.

"Why do you stay, Jasper?"

"Why do _you_ stay, Bella?" He countered, his onyx eyes settling on me. I started.

"What?"

"Why do _you_ stay?" His eyes were empty. His thoughts indecipherable.

"Jamie." Ice.

"No Bella."

"_Yes._" Anger flared up inside of me, but it ran deeper than righteous indignation.

"Why do you stay?" He asked, tauntingly. His eyes were narrowed, gleaming with sadistic amusement. A pain, long buried, began to resurface and I attempted to beat it down with the fury rushing throughout my veins. A low growl began building within my chest.

_Stop._ I wanted to say, but my teeth gnashed together and held my tongue.

"Go on." He jeered. "We can't read your mind. We can't see your future. We can't _feel _your emotions. Why are you here? Why do you stay?"

There was a crash from below, followed by shouting. The music stopped.

I didn't look away from Jasper.

"I came for Victoria."

_No Bella._

"I came to avenge Charlie."

_No Bella._

"I came to help you."

_No Bella._

"I stay because of Jamie."

_No Bella._

His eyes penetrated mine. Repeating what he knew– no, thought he knew– to be true.

It wasn't true.

It couldn't be true.

He was wrong.

_No Bella._

A snarl ripped through the air, but it wasn't my own. The door was torn open as Edward came barreling through, knocking Jasper to the ground. The others swarmed in after him, Emmett and Matthew at the forefront, quickly descending upon the pair and pulling them apart. Edward struggled uselessly against Emmett, while Jasper brushed off Matthew's restraining hands and shook his head, moving towards the door. He paused in the entryway just long enough to send my thoughts into turmoil once more.

"Emmett's right Bella. _Fine_ isn't an emotion."

~*~

"He doesn't know. He _can't_ know."

"Bella," Daniel began.

"_I_ don't even know. There's nothing _to_ know."

"_Bella,_"

"_You_ don't even know!" I cried, falling to the ground beside him.

We were in the only park that Forks had to offer. It was well past midnight, all possibilities of being seen by the humans put to rest as they lie snug in their beds. Secure in the knowledge that nothing worse than wild animals were waiting in the forests. Ignorant of the fate that would have befallen them if Victoria's newborns had descended upon the town. The grass was damp from recent rain and the moisture seeped through my jeans effortlessly. The sky was black, the stars smothered by a blanket of clouds. The only light was from the street lamp on the corner, flickering ominously in the darkness.

"You won't let me know, Bella." He said softly.

After an almost herculean effort on their part, Ethan and Matthew convinced me to take leave of Jamie, promising to watch over her and to come after me if anything, _anything_ changed. They're dirty, rotten liars, but bless their hearts for trying.

"Everything is out of my control, Daniel." I whispered. "My relationship or lack thereof with Edward is bared out for everyone to see. I just need something that's _mine_."

"I understand."

"Do you?" I looked up at him. "Do you understand what it's like for me to see him everyday? To know that if I wanted to– if I wanted him– all I would have to do is ask? Do you understand what it means to want something _so badly_ and be so terrified at the same time?"

"He _lied_. He _left_. And now he says he loves me."

"He _does _love you." Daniel interjected.

"Who's side are you on?" I asked, only half-joking.

"Look, Bella. I may not like him for how he treated you, but I can't deny that." He shook his head. "Emotions don't lie."

"I could crush him, Daniel."

"Don't you mean he could crush _you_?"

We were silent. I wasn't going to confess anything more tonight. I wasn't ready to acknowledge that he was right.

And I most certainly wasn't ready to face my feelings– whatever they may be.

I sighed. "I should apologize to Jasper."

"Yes. Yes you should." Daniel said, leaping to his feet and holding out a hand to me.

I took it gratefully. "But he deserved it."

"Yes. Yes he did."

My lips twitched. "Is he angry?"

"Angry?" He paused. "No. He's not angry."

"But he is something."

"Yes."

I sighed. "Gee, thanks."

"Their not my feelings to share, Bella." He said, making is way towards the forest. "You should know that better than anyone."

~*~

Edward was back at the piano.

I don't know why this unsettled me, but hearing the music as I entered the clearing sent me reeling. Daniel frowned at me.

"I'm fine." I gasped, waving him away.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"If you say so." He sent me a look that said _I don't believe you but I'm not going to ask_.

"You go on. I'll be just a minute."

Daniel gave me a smile of his own before making his way to the back of the house. I hesitated, waiting for him to pass out of sight before walking towards the porch. There was a swing beneath one of the windows, a recent addition, I noted, for I couldn't recall anything about it from my human memories. Though they were distorted and few. Maybe it had always been there. Something constant that I never took the time to look for or appreciate.

From the doorway, I could see him, his posture perfect, but his head bent forward as his fingers moved gracefully across the keys. I leaned against the post, bracing myself as the sadness rushed over me once more. It was painful, to watch and to listen, but looking away was no longer an option.

I felt rather than saw someone watching me from the top of the stairs. Tearing my eyes away, I caught Rosalie's steely gaze. It lasted for only a moment before she continued down the hallway, but guilt gnawed at me and I pulled myself away from the entryway, embarrassed.

Upon entering the living room, I spied Christopher and Michael, their heads bent together and their voices carrying in hurried whispers that I could hardly make out.

"What's going on?"

Their heads shot towards me, guilty expressions on their faces. I frowned.

"Guys?"

"Bella!" Alice's voice carried down the hall, preceding her by mere seconds. She had a mile wide smile on her face as she took hold of my hand. "She's up."

~*~

"How are you feeling?"

She was leaning against the headboard, her back supported by a mountain of feathered pillows of various shapes and sizes. I wondered whether Esme had gathered all of the pillows from around the house or if she just had that many spares lying around.

"I've been better." She tried to smile.

"I'm so sorry Jamie. I should have been there."

She waved me off. "Did you take care of Victoria?"

"Yes."

"Then that's all that matters."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Vampires never forget, Bella." Jamie watched my face carefully. "You shouldn't hold this against him. He was just looking out for Alice."

"I can't help it, Jamie. You could have died."

"But I didn't. I'm still here."

"It doesn't matter."

"Then what does, Bella? You can't change the past. I'm here, I'm fine. A little bruised up, but give me a few more days and I'll be as good as new."

She gestured to her lower half, still hidden beneath the sheets. I winced.

"I almost lost you again. I _promised_ myself I wouldn't let you get hurt. Look how well that turned out."

"You can't protect me forever."

"Wanna bet?" I sighed. "Sorry."

Jamie shook her head. "What's going on Bella?"

"What do you mean?"

"I heard you and Jasper. You're not happy. Something's different."

"I'm fine, Jamie. How much did you hear?"

"Fine's not an emotion, Bella." She deadpanned. I scowled.

"Funny."

"Thanks. What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing. There's nothing to tell."

"Bull."

I buried my fingernails in my palm. She's hurt. I can't afford to be fighting with someone else.

"Look, I'm not discussing this with you Jamie."

"Why not? I thought we were friends." She turned her head away from me.

"Don't be like that."

"I don't understand. Do you– Do you want to…"

"Do I want to what?"

"Never mind. I don't want to know."

"Tell me."

Her voice dropped. "Do you want to stay? Here, I mean. With them. With him."

I didn't answer.

"I knew it. How could you do this? Why would you want to, after what he did to you?"

"Jamie–"

"No. I don't want to hear it." She squirmed, as if she wanted to get up, and then hissed, her face contorting as the pain hit her once more. She fell back onto the pillows.

"If you're willing to forgive Jasper, why can't I forgive Edward?" I asked, running a hand through her hair.

"It's not the same Bella."

"Isn't it?" I challenged.

"He hurt you." She whispered.

I took her hand. "I'm here, I'm fine. A little bruised up but give me some time and I'll be as good as new."

"Do you really believe that?" She said, turning her face to the wall. "Do you really believe it's that easy?"

"Life is anything but easy, Jamie. I'm not saying anything for sure. I don't know how I'm feeling and I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Right now, my main concern is you."

She looked like she wanted to say more, but thought better of it. "Fine."

~*~

He knew I was listening. At least, I thought he knew.

I was standing in the doorway, defenses up, unseen. He was playing the same melody, his hands repeatedly moving through the scales. I wondered if he had run out of things to play, or if he just wasn't paying attention. Maybe he didn't care. His gaze was distant, staring through the glass pane into the rain ridden forest. It was gray and bleak. Miserable. I could see his face in the reflection, but he gave away nothing. He didn't even blink.

I could hear the others in the house. The rustling of papers in Carlisle's study. Esme's soft laughter. Jamie being teased by my brothers. Alice chattering away to Jasper. Rosalie and Emmett arguing.

And then there was Edward. Alone, with his piano.

I wondered if it was like this all the time. Everyone with someone, while he stood alone. Always alone.

_But he didn't have to be._

I would have been his someone. I had _wanted_ to be his someone.

To save him from the gray and the bleak and the miserable.

He chose to be alone.

He made the choice for us both.

I sighed, shaking off the rush of anger and bitterness I felt. I was better than that.

There was a hesitation between notes, disrupting the melody minutely. I almost missed it.

"Bella?"

I could see his reflection, his eyes piercing through the glass, searching for my own. I shrunk back into the wall, holding my breath. His back was tense, and though his hands continued to maneuver the keys, he was scanning the room reflected.

I stayed silent, waiting for him to slink back into himself.

"Please," He said quietly.

I wavered, glancing between the empty seat beside him and the doorway. It would be easy to walk away now.

I watched his shoulders fall and saw him close his eyes to the world. Alone, again, with his piano.

"I'm here." I whispered. His shoulders tensed and his whole body turned, abruptly ending the music. I caught the relief in his face before frantic determination took over.

"Why are you hiding?" He was angled towards me and every once and a while his eyes would pass me over, though I don't think he realized. I took a few steps away, so that his back was to me.

"Will you play? I asked. Edward turned to my voice.

"I was playing."

"You stopped." I said, moving closer.

"You're here."

I ran my hands along the top of the piano. "Yes. I'm here."

His eyes were on me now, though they were focused just above my own, flickering to my side as if willing me to appear.

Slowly, I slid into the empty place beside him, stirring the air with my movement and brushing my arm against his shoulder. He stiffened, before his shoulders relaxed, and he continued to look for me in nothing. I placed my left hand on the piano, pressing down on the keys. His eyes followed the movement and I saw his hand twitch by his side. Steeling myself, I reached for it, startling him as I placed it on the keys.

"Will you play?"

My fingers lifted from his, but in one swift movement, Edward managed to capture my hand in between his palms. "Please, don't hide."

His eyes were burning as they flickered unknowingly across my face. I met his eyes and took a chance.

He blinked, stunned, before his hands grew tighter around my own.

"Bella." He said it softly, like a prayer and I pushed down the fear that bubbled up inside me. I would not run.

Edward raised one of his hands, brushing his fingertips over my cheek. I turned away, suddenly dizzy, and stared hard at the piano.

"Will you play, Edward?"

He hesitated.

"Please?"

I could feel his eyes on my face, questions and hopes that I wasn't ready to answer. So as his fingers began their dance, I closed my eyes and allowed myself to get lost in my lullaby.

* * *

The Reader and the Author:

_You have two seconds to explain._

Wait. Don't kill me.

_Do you know what month it is?!_

It's July. Yes. Yes I know.

_Where on earth have you been?_

Well you see it's a funny story–

_No. We want a real excuse. No Zombie Pirates._

Okay. Fine. You see, I have this thing called school and then after I got _that_ out of the way, I had this other thing called summer school.

_You mean you failed a class and you had to take summer school? Sounds like a personal problem._

No. That would have made more sense. You see, I took summer school so that I could get ahead...

_That's stupid._

Tell me about it. And then after _that_ I just got busy because I got this thing called a driver's license–

_You left us hanging because you are now able to drive?!_

... Um, yes. Yes I did. I'm sorry.

_We might consider forgiving you..._

Gee, that would be great.

_If you promise to get the next chapter up soon._

Well, you see. About that next chapter...

_Uh oh.  
_

There might be a little problem getting that to you in the near future.

_Why?!_

Well, about six months ago, I signed up for this program that sends kids to colleges abroad...

_Don't. Don't even say it._

And I got in. So I will be spending the next month and a half in Europe...

_I hate you._

_

* * *

  
_

_

* * *

_Hey guys. I know that this was late. Unforgivably so and after you were all so wonderful breaking that one thousand mark.

Good news though, I didn't kill Jasper!

And some semi-good maybe sad news is next chapter will be the last, unless I decide to post an epilogue.

Yay! to no more waiting!

... Except for the next two months.

Once again, I'm sorry. They won't let me bring my lap top.

Are there any of you left who were here from the beginning? If there are, you all deserve a medal or something.

I'll work on that.

Leave your thoughts/violent threats in the review box.

~Kaylee

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